South Sudan’s cabinet minister has hinted that President Salva Kiir is seriously considering signing the outstanding IGAD-Plus peace proposal.
The document was already signed last week by Riek Machar, who heads the SPLA-IO, and Pagan Amum on behalf of a group of former political detainees. Kiir requested an additional 15 days to consult on the deal.
In a press statement following an expanded cabinet meeting Monday in Juba, Cabinet Minister Martin Elia Lomuro said peace is paramount in South Sudan. He also said the meeting focused on specific reservation points in the agreement, including security issues and power-sharing arrangements in Upper Nile state.
He said further discussion on those points was still needed before Kiir would sign and predicted a final decision will be reached during the next cabinet meeting, though he did not say when that would take place.
The expanded meeting, which Kiir chairs, includes national ministers, state governors, heads of commissions, some political parties and the chairs of the parliament’s specialized committees.