The UN Secretary-General has welcomed the return of Riek Machar to Juba and his swearing in as the First Vice President, saying it “marks a new phase in the implementation of the peace agreement.”
The Secretary-General also called for the immediate formation of the Transitional Government of National Unity, according to a press statement from the UN headquarters yesterday.
President Salva Kiir did not announce his new cabinet yesterday evening after the swearing-in of Machar, contrary to the expectations of some observers. Kiir’s loyalists are expected to share power in the new government with the two factions SPLM-IO and SPLM-FD.
Ban also commended the efforts of the Joint Monitoring and Evaluation Commission (JMEC) Chairperson former President Festus Mogae and the AU High Representative former President Alpha Oumar Konaré, who were both present yesterday in Juba for the swearing-in of Machar.
“The Secretary-General also calls on the Security Council to work closely with the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) and the African Union Peace and Security Council (AUPSC) to mobilize all the required support for the peace process,” reads the statement by Ban’s spokesman.