South Sudan’s Vice President James Wani Igga has on Saturday urged former vice president Riek Machar to quickly report to Juba to accelerate the formation of the Government of National Unity.
Igga addressed this message to SPLM-IO Chief Negotiator Taban Deng Gai during the closure of the SPLM Extraordinary convention in Juba at Freedom Hall. Calling the ex-rebel leader a “friend”, the vice president said that he should return quickly to Juba.
“The second message to you, Comrade Taban, is tell Dr. Riek, my friend Dr. Riek, of course you are all my friend, or is not like that – tell Dr. Riek to quickly report to Juba so that immediately we form the transitional government of national unity,” said Igga.
“There is nothing for us to wait, ya jama (you people), so that we move as one government,” he continued. “Once we form that government we will indeed get solidly united but we need that government. So there is no need for someone to stay away – for what?”
“Please assure our people so the coming of Riek matters otherwise it will continue to send wrong signals and distrust. If you are together you see then the trust actually builds itself,” said the vice president.
Riek Machar fled Juba in December 2013 during fighting in the city in which his house was attacked. Salva Kiir declared him a traitor but later dropped the charge and signed a peace agreement with him in August 2015. Kiir has said that Machar planned a coup in December 2013, but Machar says he did not take up arms against the government until circumstances forced him to do so.
Under the terms of the new deal, Machar is slated to become First Vice President, a new position senior to that of Wani Igga, who will serve as a second vice president. Machar’s armed group, SPLM-IO, has also been given control of ten ministries, including Petroleum, Mining and Interior.
The lead facilitator of implementation efforts, JMEC Chairman Festus Mogae, said last week that he expects the new ministers to be appointed as early as this week. This comes after the parties to the peace agreement last week divvied up the ministerial portfolios.
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