Exiled opposition leader Riek Machar has arrived in the capital Juba for expected talks with President Salva Kiir Mayardit.
Machar, who lives in Khartoum, landed in Juba in a Sudanese plane. He was accompanied by deputy head of Sudan’s sovereign council Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, better known as Hemeti.
Mr. Machar’s visit is seen as an important step towards the implementation of the revitalized peace accord as the mid-February deadline for forming a transitional government approaches.
The roll-out of the peace deal, however, has been delayed by disputes over the number of states and security arrangements.
Last week, government and opposition negotiators ended three days of meetings without an agreement on the number of states, casting a shadow over efforts to end the impasse.
"Dr. Machar has just arrived in Juba, we are now at the airport," deputy spokesman of the opposition SPLM-IO, Manawa Peter Gatkuoth, told Radio Tamazuj this afternoon.
Machar is expected to meet President Kiir and members of the SPLM-IO group in Juba.” Machar will be in Juba for three days," Manawa said.
On November 7, President Salva Kiir and opposition leader Riek Machar agreed to give themselves another 100 days to form a unity government.
President Salva Kiir, opposition leader Riek Machar and a handful of other groups signed the peace deal in September 2018. However the parties have failed to create a unified army and determine the number of states since the deal was signed.