South Sudan's opposition leader Riek Machar has arrived in Juba this afternoon and is due to meet President Salva Kiir on Tuesday in a bid to resolve the outstanding issues.

President Kiir and opposition chief Machar - who lives in exile - are under international pressure to resolve their differences and form a unity government by February 22.

 Manawa Peter Gatkuoth, a deputy spokesman for the SPLM-IO, told Radio Tamazuj in Juba that the opposition leader came to Juba to hold meetings on the outstanding issues which include security arrangements.

Earlier today, the main opposition group said the creation of Abyei, greater Pibor and Ruweng administrative areas by President Salva Kiir would be debated in Juba.

Kiir on Saturday made a key compromise by cutting the 32 states back down to the original 10 -- a key opposition demand -- to pave the way for a transitional government of national unity.

But Kiir also included on top of the 10 states, three administrative areas of Ruweng, Abyei and greater Pibor.

Opposition leader Riek Machar said he rejected those three administrative areas, calling upon Kiir to reconsider the creation of the three areas.

The rival parties have twice failed to form the transitional government, first in May 2019 and then in November, when they agreed to a 100-day-long extension to resolve still-disputed issues and form a power-sharing government by 22 February 2020.