South Sudan's armed opposition leader Riek Machar says he will return to Juba to assume his position as First-Vice President in December this year.

In a press statement in Khartoum, Machar affirmed his commitment to the recently signed peace deal, saying he will come to Juba when the necessary arrangements are completed according to the implementation matrix.

The rebel leader promised that he will work with the Inter-Governmental Authority on Development (IGAD) and international community to continue with the implementation of the peace agreement signed last August.

Speaking to the press in Khartoum, he pointed out that he had been invited by the Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir to visit Khartoum where he met Ugandan Yoweri Museveni.

The peace deal signed by President Salva Kiir and rebel leader Riek Machar mandates the creation of a new power-sharing government in South Sudan within 90 days of signing. The period until then is called the “pre-transitional period.”

File photo: Riek Machar in his office in Juba in 2012 (Voice of America)