Ramadan Hassan Lako, the spokesperson of the SPLM-IO advance team in Juba, said they haven’t named their ministers for a transitional government because the transitional constitution is incomplete.
The parties committed to name their ministers by 14 January and form the transitional government by 22 January, according to the Joint Monitoring and Evaluation Commission (JMEC) which is overseeing peace implementation.
Ramadan, who is also head of the IO’s Equatoria dossier, said in an interview with Radio Tamazuj that the armed opposition will first receive the transitional constitution before naming it ministers.
“We have not yet submitted the list because the government should be formed after the transitional constitution is passed,” Ramadan said.
“Up to now the constitution is incomplete, so we cannot form the government without a constitution,” he added.
Ramadan said IO leader Riek Machar will return to Juba when the constitution is passed. He said about 350 security guards for Machar should arrive prior to his return.
The peace agreement says all military forces within Juba must be deployed outside the city with exception of guards for Kiir and Machar, soldiers to protect barracks and warehouses, and joint integrated police.
Separately, presidential spokesman Ateny Wek Ateny recently told a local radio station that naming of ministers for the transitional government was supposed to be completed on Thursday. He noted that ministers from Kiir’s side will include four women.