South Sudan President, Salva Kiir and former rebel leader, Riek Machar are expected to form a unity government by Saturday’s deadline. The two announced this on Thursday to quash fears that deadline would be pushed again as it has been witnessed a number of times.
South Sudan gained independence from Sudan in 2011 becoming the world’s youngest nation. Barely two years after, the country plunged into civil war when President Salva Kiir sacked his deputy Riek Machar.
The civil war claimed lives of an estimated 400,000 people and thousands displaced. The conflict consequently triggered famine creating Africa’s biggest refugee crisis since the 1994 genocide in Rwanda.
The country has been in political turmoil for some years and Riek Machar who has been exile returned to Juba following a peace agreement in 2018. A November 12, 2018 deadline to form a unity government failed and was pushed back following initial key criteria of a 2018 peace agreement not being met a move that prompted the United States to impose sanctions on some political leaders.
Many of those issues remain outstanding but last Saturday, President Salva Kiir agreed to reduce the number of states as demanded by Machar’s rebel faction.
The two sides agreed to form the unity government on Saturday, February 22, 2020, former rebel leader Machar told journalists after a meeting at State House.
President Kiir said he would appoint Machar as first vice president on Friday and provide all the members of the former opposition with protection.
According to United Nations report, the current peace in South Sudan is extremely fragile, warned of dire repercussions if agreements made between the two warring sides are not honored.
