Return of Machar to save South Sudan peace deal

President Uhuru Kenyatta, left, held discussions with Dr Riek Machar, South Sudan’s First Vice President designate at State House Nairobi. The latter said he was on his to Juba. PHOTO | FILE 

By FRED OLUOCH

In Summary

• The formation of South Sudan’s Transitional Government of National Unity is getting closer after 23 rebel army generals arrived in Juba and SPLM-IO leader Riek Machar announced that he will go home soon.
• Signs that Dr Machar is on his way home came on Thursday when he met Kenya’s President Uhuru Kenyatta at State House Nairobi in what has been dubbed as a farewell meeting and an opportunity for the vice-president designate to thank Kenyans for their contribution to the peace process.

The formation of South Sudan’s Transitional Government of National Unity is getting closer after 23 rebel army generals arrived in Juba and SPLM-IO leader Riek Machar announced that he will go home soon.

The 23 generals and police officers arrived in Juba on Thursday afternoon and will immediately start working with government officials on the implementation of the security arrangements for the arrival of Dr Machar’s 1,310-man security team.

Lam Jok, the Sudanese People’s Liberation Movement in Opposition (SPLM-IO) representative in Kenya, told The EastAfrican that these developments are positive.

Since the signing of the peace agreement in August 2014, Dr Machar has been hesitant to return home out of fear for his security even after President Salva Kiir appointed him the first-vice president. 

READ: Machar named First VP, but won’t return yet

He has been citing delays in the implementation of security arrangements that included the demilitarisation of Juba and the formation of the joint police units, even though the two parties in the peace agreement had in January agreed on the portfolio balance in the 30-member Cabinet.

Signs that Dr Machar is on his way home came on Thursday when he met Kenya’s President Uhuru Kenyatta at State House Nairobi in what has been dubbed as a farewell meeting and an opportunity for the vice-president designate to thank Kenyans for their contribution to the peace process.

“I will return home to take up the responsibility of helping to grow and rebuild our country,” Dr Machar told President Kenyatta at State House, Nairobi.

Due to concerns over his personal security on return to Juba, Dr Machar has been engaged in shuttle diplomacy across Africa meeting with leaders of South Africa, Ethiopia, Djibouti, Chad and Kenya.

The EastAfrican has established that Dr Machar has been lobbying to be escorted to Juba by a contingent of African leaders and the Inter-Governmental Authority on Development (Igad) mediators to ensure that nothing will happen to him once he returns.

But South Sudan charge de affairs in Kenya, Jimmy Deng, said there was no need to seek assurances from regional leaders because Dr Machar’s team has been in Juba since December last year and nothing has happened to them.

Mr Deng revealed that they also met President Kenyatta and requested him to ask Dr Machar to return home.