SPLM Deputy Secretary General Anne Itto has announced that President Salva Kiir will travel to Arusha, Tanzania for a summit that will be attended by five head of states from the region and SPLM-IO rebel leader Riek Machar. In a related move, the ruling SPLM faction has called senior party leaders from the states to meet in Juba to discuss prospects for a deal with Machar.
Itto explained to journalists after a consultative meeting of party leaders in Juba chaired by President Kiir yesterday that the meeting in Arusha is expected to take place in three days time. Akol Paul, spokesperson for the SPLM-Juba delegation at Arusha talks, told Radio Tamazuj separately that they received an invitation from facilitators but he declined to say the specific date when Arusha meetings would begin.
Itto said, “Five heads of state will be meeting in Arusha to talk to Riek about why he has not joined the implementation of Arusha which is going on in Juba. Our president and the chairman of the SPLM will be travelling there as it is important that the Arusha agreement is implemented and we have made a tremendous progress.”
“Peace is the most important thing when it comes to implementation of the Arusha Agreement; secondly, having back the former detainees is a strength to the SPLM. With our unity we will be able to address all the things that went wrong that led to the conflict at the leadership level that resulted in the death of so many people,” Itto said.
Akol Paul disclosed that the meeting between the two sides will take place with five representatives from each side. He said that the SPLM-G10 faction previously led by Pagan Amum has now become part of the ruling party. “So the meeting will be between us and the armed faction only,” he said.
On the other side, Pouk Both, SPLM-IO information official in Nairobi office, told Radio Tamazuj that they have already formed a negotiating delegation for the Arusha talks.
As yet there are few details avaialable about the SPLM consultation meeting that will take place in Juba. As described by Itto, it will involve participation of the governors and SPLM state chairpersons form the states.