A delegation of South Sudan’s so-called SPLM ‘Former Detainees’ accompanied by the Foreign Minister of Kenya Amina Mohammad arrived to Juba this morning for a one-day visit to meet with President Salva Kiir and other members of the SPLM party.
The group of political exiles has expressed its desire to re-join the faction of South Sudan’s ruling party led by General Salva Kiir, the ‘SPLM in Juba’, as described by the party’s acting secretary-general Anne Ito. The delegation arriving this morning included Deng Alor, Chol Tong, John Luk and Kosti Manibe.
Speaking at Juba International Airport, Paul Akol, spokesman of the SPLM-Juba said their arrival will give a big push to the Arusha peace process and to the general search for peace in South Sudan.
“This morning we have received this delegation led by Deng Alor accompanied by the Foreign Minister of the Republic Kenya. This initiative… came as a result of a meeting held on the sideline of the African Union summit in Johannesburg between our President Salva and Uhuru Kenyatta. They came in a follow-up to that meeting,” Akol said.
For his part, spokesman fo the SPLM-Former Detainees group John Luk said that it will not be their last visit to Juba but it will continue until there is peace and stability in the country. “We have come to make further engagement, we will meet our president here and we hope to find time to engage with some of our comrades in the SPLM leadership,” he said.
The members were scheduled to meet the president at SPLM House in a closed-door meeting. This is group’s second visit to South Sudan this month from Kenya, where they are based.