South Sudan’s former detainees said they will initial the proposed peace deal with the government, but they said that they still had “reservations”.
The former detainees, who also describe themselves as SPLM leaders, last week refrained from initialling the proposed governance deal in Khartoum, saying more work needed to be done to address their concerns.
“The mediation will guide us on the way when we could sit as parties with the help of the mediation so that we resolve the issues which have been bracketed. The most important is that all people are going to sign, but with reservations which are going to be bracketed,” Deng Alor Kuol, member of the former detainees group told VOA.
South Sudan opposition leader Riek Machar who is expected to become the country’s First Vice President under the peace deal, signed the agreement last week. The government in Juba also signed the document.
Alor further said they will give their concerns to the mediation team especially on the number of the states and referendum.” Within five months you cannot conduct a referendum because who is going to be responsible for that referendum? It is the current government and the rest will not be there, so we are saying on it is not possible,” Deng said.
He pointed out that his group had voiced concerns about the power sharing ratio. “The government is talking about 65% for them and 35% for the opposition. We are saying no, it should be 55% for the government and 55% for the opposition,” he said.
Alor reiterated his group’s commitment to work for peace and stability in South Sudan.