A civil society activist has urged President Salva Kiir to ensure all outstanding issues are resolved before a unity government could be formed.
Phillip Nyawella, the head of Nile Organization for Peace and Development, a South Sudanese organization working in refugees camps in Sudan’s White Nile State, told Radio Tamazuj Thursday that the plan by President Kiir to form a non-inclusive government on 12 November raises new concerns for the fragile peace process.
"I appeal to President Salva Kiir not to form a non-inclusive government on November 12, without resolving the outstanding issues,” he said.
Nyawella further said a transitional government that is not inclusive will endanger the lives of people living as refugees.
The main opposition group, the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-In-Opposition (SPLM-IO) said the unity government should not be formed unless key pending issues are resolved.
Global pressure is mounting on the parties to form a unity government as planned with less than two weeks to the deadline agreed on in May.
According to the 2018 peace deal, a unity government was supposed to be formed in May, but due to unresolved issues, the parties agreed to a six-month extension, settling on 12 November as the deadline for the new government.
The key outstanding issues include creation of unified forces, deployment of soldiers meant to protect top government officials, agreeing on number of states and drawing internal boundaries.