The United States, which has curbed relations with South Sudan over its political impasse, on Saturday welcomed the formation of a unity government as planned.
President Salva Kiir on Friday dissolved the previous government and appointed opposition leader Riek Machar as first vice president, after the two men finally agreed to form a long-delayed unity government.
James Wani Igga, Taban Deng Gai, and Rebecca Nyandeng De Mabior were also named vice-presidents as part of the unity government.
The fourth vice president position remains vacant as members of the South Sudan Opposition Alliance (SSOA) have not settled on a candidate for the position.
The president and opposition leaders who are part of the coalition government are expected to make wider consultations before the formation of the new cabinet.
“South Sudan is a nation longing for peace, stability and a brighter future for its people. I welcome the decision by the government and opposition parties to form a new, transitional unity government,” Kelly Craft, the United States Ambassador to the United Nations, said in a statement.
Ambassador Craft pointed out that the formation of a transitional government of national unity is the first in a series of critical steps that must be taken to bring dignity and peace to the people of South Sudan.
“The real work—the hardest work—begins now, and I urge President Salva Kiir, Dr. Riek Machar, and all of South Sudan’s leaders to show the courage and fortitude needed at this moment to translate hope into a better future for South Sudan,” she concluded.