South Sudanese Vice President James Wani Igga says the government is willing to give the governorships of 6 of the 28 new districts in the country to the SPLM-IO rebel group, covering the same amount of territory that they would have ruled under the terms of the August 2015 peace deal.
SPLM-IO was given the governorships of Unity and Upper Nile states under the terms of the IGAD-brokered peace deal, but President Salva Kiir issued two decrees in October and December breaking up the states into three districts each and appointing his own loyalists to govern them.
But Kiir’s deputy yesterday told a crowd in the capital Juba that the president would reverse these appointments soon in order to give power in Unity and Upper Nile states to the SPLM-IO.
“The two states that are in the [Greater] Upper Nile have become six – those two which have become six – we, after forming the transitional unity government, God willing in this month of January, with the participation of Dr. Riek’s people, we will say okay Riek people, we did not want to leave the door of those six states open, come take your states and we will have our deputies with you and 44% of the[positions],” he said.
“So we have not violated the peace agreement. And the president has said this. This must be understood by everybody,” Igga emphasized.
The vice president was speaking at a rally at which President Salva Kiir had been scheduled to appear but failed to do so on Thursday.
The president’s spokesman Ateny Wek Ateny said in an interview on Thursday that the failed to address the gathering because he was preoccupied with other important national matters and so decided to delegate the vice president to speak on behalf of the government.
Yesterday’s rally was organized by the Office of the President and the secretariat of the Sudan People’s Liberation (SPLM-Juba).
Bol Makueng, deputy minister of education and the SPLM-Juba secretary for information, culture and sports had issued a statement on Wednesday urging members of the public to turn out on Thursday at late John Garang De Mabior Mausoleum, expecting the president to address the crowd.
The ceremony yesterday was held in honor of inauguration of the 28 new governors.
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Kiir hints at reversing some new appointments, says willing to appoint IO governors