---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: "John Ashworth" <[email protected]> Date: 13 Feb 2016 09:08 Subject: [sudans-john-ashworth] Dr Riek Machar appointed First Vice President To: "Group" <[email protected]> Cc:
This is an important step towards forming the Transitional Government of National Unity. While Dr Riek has legitimate concerns about the slow implementation of the peace agreement and the controversial formation of 28 states, it seems to me that if he really wants to influence the process constructively and to change the things he disagrees with, he now has to do it from within rather than sniping from the sidelines. The political centre of gravity has shifted from Addis Ababa and the peripheral war zones to Juba. John BEGIN 1. Machar appointed South Sudan’s first vice president February 11, 2016 (JUBA) — South Sudan rebel leader, Riek Machar was on Thursday appointed the country’s first vice president in accordance with last year’s peace accord. In a decree, read on the state-ownedSSTV Thursday, South Sudanese President Salva Kiir also appointed James Wani Igga as the county’s vice president. The appointments, according to the presidential decree, were made in accordance to the 2015 peace agreement and powers given to Kiir by the 2011 Transitional Constitution. The armed opposition is yet to comment on the latest development, but the regional bloc that mediated the talks, the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), gave the peace parties up to the first week of February to form a Transitional Government of National Unity (TGoNU). The presidential decree number 60 appointed Machar as the first vice president and decree number 59 relieved Igga from the position he previously held since August 2013. Machar was removed from the vice presidency by President Kiir in July 2013. Ten of thousands of people were killed and over two million displaced from their homes since disagreements within South Sudan’ ruling party triggered a violence in the country. (ST) http://www.sudantribune.com/spip.php?article57985 END1 2. SPLM-IO welcomes Machar’s appointment as South Sudan’s First Vice President February 12, 2016 (ADDIS ABABA) – The armed opposition faction of the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM-IO) said the Thursday’s appointment of their chairman as South Sudanese First Vice President has come as a “surprise” but “welcomed” the move as a step forward in the implementation of the peace agreement signed in August last year. In a presidential decree number 60 read on the state-owned South Sudan Television (SSTV) on Thursday evening, South Sudanese President Salva Kiir appointed the top armed opposition leader, Riek Machar, as First Vice President of the country in accordance with the power sharing provisions in the Agreement on the Resolution of Conflict in South Sudan (ARCSS). The peace agreement has stipulated that President Kiir will appoint a First Vice President who will be a nominee of the SPLM-IO. Kiir in an earlier decree number 59 removed James Wani Igga from the position of Vice President and reappointed him to the position of (second) Vice President, falling junior to Machar. Machar’s Press Secretary James Gatdet Dak when contacted for reaction to the news of the appointment said they welcomed it. “We welcome the move. It is a step forward in the implementation of the peace agreement. The rushed appointment has however come as a surprise. We thought my Chairman and Commander-in-Chief of SPLM/SPLA (IO), Comrade Dr. Riek Machar, should have arrived in Juba first before the appointment is issued,” Dak said on Thursday evening. “We hope President Kiir will not come up with another rushed surprise by forming a national unity government without my Chairman in Juba. He should also wait for the list of our nominated 10 ministers which our Chairman should submit in person in Juba,” he added. Dak said the next step should now be for President Kiir’s administration to support the opposition faction in transporting the nearly 3,000 elements of joint police and military forces to the national capital, Juba, so that Machar can travel to the capital to form the unity government. He added it may not take less than two weeks before the forces can arrive in Juba. Observers however say the coming of the opposition forces to Juba is serious test to the government on the peace deal with senior political and military leaders opposed to the implementation of the security arrangements in the capital. (ST) http://www.sudantribune.com/spip.php?article57989 END2 3. South Sudan president appoints rebel leader his deputy By RODNEY MUHUMUZA and JASON PATINKIN Feb. 12, 2016 12:47 PM EST KAMPALA, Uganda (AP) — South Sudan's president appointed his fierce rival as his deputy in a possible government of national unity, raising hopes for peace even as the rebels described the move as inconsequential. President Salva Kiir expects rebel leader Riek Machar to travel to South Sudan to become the country's first vice president, presidential spokesman Ateny Wek Ateny told The Associated Press Friday. "I don't see any reason why he should not come to Juba," Ateny said, referring to the South Sudanese capital. "If there is a reason, then he should tell the world." Machar's appointment "will have no impact on the formation of the government," said James Gatdet Dak, a spokesman for Machar, who has been living in Ethiopia. "The appointment has come as a surprise because of the wrong sequence, but we have accepted it, and we have welcomed it, and it is in line with the implementation of the peace agreement," he said. "Only it comes at the wrong time." He added: "We thought (Machar) should have arrived first in Juba and then be appointed." Implementation of the peace agreement, signed in August, has stalled because Kiir ordered the creation of 28 states from the existing 10, undermining a power-sharing provision in the deal that gave Machar's side control of two of the original states. Machar also wants the government to pull its troops from Juba, as called for in the peace deal. The U.N. on Friday welcomed the appointment and urged Machar to return to Juba, the spokesman for the secretary-general, Stephane Dujarric, told reporters. Sporadic fighting has continued between government forces and rebels in some parts of the oil-producing East African country. Machar had been Kiir's deputy until July 2013, when his firing triggered a political crisis that later boiled over into a rebellion following a violent split among the security forces in Juba. Some of the fighting was along ethnic lines, and both sides have been accused of carrying out serious crimes against civilians. Despite the peace accord, both sides continue to seek new weapons, according to a report released last month by a U.N. panel of experts. The panel said that as of mid-September, South Sudan's government was apparently trying to arrange payment for four attack helicopters from a Uganda-based company, Bosasy Logistics. The rebels have received ammunition and arms from neighboring Sudan, the report said. Patinkin reported from Juba, South Sudan. Cara Anna in New York contributed to this report. http://bigstory.ap.org/article/0a9dddac28c6489fa2f3084f1b486e06/south-sudan-president-appoints-rebel-leader-his-deputy END3 4. President Kiir calls on new FVP Machar to report to Juba within 7 days February 12, 2016 (JUBA) – South Sudanese President, Salva Kiir, has called on Riek Machar, his main rival and newly appointed First Vice President in absentia, to report to Juba “immediately” and within 7 days from Friday, 12 February 2016. In a two-page press statement he issued on Friday, President Kiir said after appointing Machar on Thursday evening, in accordance with the peace agreement they signed in August 2015, it was time to form a transitional government of national unity (TGoNU) within 7 days. “Having taken key steps towards the implementation of the Agreement, I now call upon Dr. Riek Machar, who is the First Vice President of the Republic, to report to Juba immediately so that together we can form the TGoNU within seven (7) days from today, Friday the 12th February, 2016,” he directed. The president of the young war-ravaged nation further said he was ready to form a transitional government as an urgent matter, adding that he had already consulted with the other parties to the peace agreement including the former detainees. “Now I take the Opportunity of this press statement to confidently state that I am ready to form the Transitional Government of National Unity (TGoNU)…It has become very important and urgent that I receive the names of the SPLM/A-IO within the seven (7) days I specified earlier,” he said. President Kiir also emphasized that the rest of the outstanding issues in the peace agreement will thereafter be handled “within the context” of the transitional government. “All other issues in relation to the Agreement shall be dealt with here in Juba and within the context of the TGoNU,” he further explained. It was not clear what “within the context of TGoNU” entailed with observers telling Sudan Tribunethat this is a worrying trend as the president and his faction may become happy with misinterpretation of the peace agreement and want to dwell on resolutions of the new government on contentious matters. The SPLM-IO and other opposition factions may find it difficult to try to interpret the agreement’s provisions as they will also have no constitution to refer to in such outstanding matters. The opposition leadership said it was surprising that President Kiir appointed Machar before he could arrive back to the capital after two years in the bush fighting the government, but welcomed the move as a step forward in the implementation of the peace agreement. Officials of the SPLM-IO however reminded that President Kiir should not form a government surprisingly without the First Vice President in Juba. The opposition however said Machar will not travel to Juba from his headquarters of Pagak, Upper Nile state, until security arrangements are implemented in the national capital, Juba, per the sequence of the peace deal and to build confidence. The agreement called for amendment of the current constitution to incorporate the peace deal, withdrawal of government forces from Juba and deployment of joint police and military forces from both sides within 90 days from its signing before a transitional government can be formed to run the country for 30 months prior to elections. While the opposition groups want such prerequisite provisions to be implemented first sequentially before forming a new government, President Kiir’s administration is comfortable with the delay in the amendment of the constitution and security arrangements implementation. A recent IGAD communiqué which called for formation of the government without a constitution seemed to have supported the position of the government, despite its call to first deploy joint forces in Juba as called for by the SPLM-IO and in accordance with the accord. Observers and other opposition factions such as the breakaway faction from SPLM-IO of the Federal Democratic Party (FDP) said the rush by the government to form a unity government without a constitution was a strategy to revive their “reservations” to kill the peace deal. There are fears that the government wanted lack of constitution to refer to as a law of the land in regard to the peace agreement, which may be in line with the initial reservations it had during the signing of the deal. Without opposition forces entering Juba before Machar arrives in the capital, observers fear that the peace agreement may be subjected to misinterpretations by the government, which may result to renewed factional conflicts within TGoNU and detention of opposition leaders including Machar. SPLM-IO faction earlier said it was unrealistic for the government to be formed soon unless the joint forces arrive in Juba, adding Machar will not return to the capital until such forces, not only bodyguards, arrive in Juba. President Kiir in the statement said he ordered the army leadership to withdraw forces from Juba and also designate a location to accommodate the expected Machar’s bodyguards who will accompany him to Juba. He did not however mention the fate of the deployment in Juba of the would-be joint forces of 1,500 police and 1,410 soldiers from the side of the SPLA-IO. Observers with knowledge of decision making processes in the presidency told Sudan Tribune that President Kiir’s rush to form a unity government without a constitution and joint forces in Juba was an assurance to his political and military leaders who are opposed to the agreement that he is still in control of the status quo and could take others for a ride. A controversial creation of 28 states is one of the hot issues that threaten a return to war in the country and await discussions by TGoNU. (ST) http://www.sudantribune.com/spip.php?article57992 END4 5. S. Sudan’s VP Igga calls on Machar to return home February 12, 2016 (JUBA) – South Sudanese Vice President, James Wani Igga, has called on the newly appointed First Vice President, Riek Machar, to return home immediately. Igga made the call after taking oath of office before President Salva Kiir a day after he was relieved and reappointed to a third position in the government as Second Vice President. Speaking to journalists after the swearing in ceremony in the office of the president, Igga argued Machar to return to Juba for a transitional government of national unity to be formed, adding that a First Vice President should not represent the government from abroad. “I call upon my colleague Dr. Riek Machar to immediately respond to this patriotic and brotherly move by our president to appoint him as first vice president,” said Igga, flanked by ministers of cabinet affairs, national security and finance. President Kiir relieved Igga on Thursday to pave way for appointment of Machar in accordance with the peace agreement to resolve the conflict in the Republic of South Sudan signed in August 2015. The opposition leader has indicated his willingness to return to Juba to take his new position but only after his forces are transported to the capital in accordance with the security arrangements provided for in the peace deal. Igga said Machar’s prolonged absence from Juba should not continue because “once you are appointed, you cannot continue to stay abroad.” “It will be very odd representing a country [from] abroad. So the best for him really [is] to come and to come with his entire team,” he added, stressing that the government team is ready to name 16 ministers for the 30 months of transitional government of national unity (TGoNU). He also added that the government is “ready for the formation of the cabinet” for the TGoNU. “So we need the team of the IOs to also be sent to us so that even the appointment of cabinet is done and if there are outstanding issues of course; issues related to the ARC – the agreement for the resolution of the conflict, these issues as we sit together on the same table as brothers and sisters, I am sure we can address all these issues,” he said. The parties disagreed on the number of states after President Kiir created more states two months after signing the peace agreement based on the existing 10 states. But Igga said that issue and others will be addressed by TGoNU. “Whether these are the 28 states, whether these are their boundaries, whether these are their names, whether these are economic issues, whether these are what. If you are apart, then you cannot solve any problem but once together and cohesively, I believe we can remove any impediment on our way to progress,” he said. “I am sure we will deliver to our people and the difficulties now – be the economic, social and so on that our people are facing, in a very short time will be addressed,” he said. Government officials seem to use the appointment of Machar as a pressure tool for him to return to Juba soon. (ST) http://www.sudantribune.com/spip.php?article57994 END5 6. S. Sudanese president orders troops withdrawal from Juba February 12, 2016 (JUBA) – The military leadership in South Sudan has been ordered to withdraw forces from the national capital, Juba, in implementation of a peace agreement signed in August last year between President Salva Kiir’s government and armed opposition faction of the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM-IO) led by the newly-appointed First Vice President, Riek Machar. President Kiir on Friday ordered army chief of general staff, Paul Malong Awan, to withdraw forces to 25km outside the capital in preparation for deployment of joint police and military forces from rival armies in the country. The directives came a day after the appointment of the armed opposition leader, Machar, as the First Vice President, placing him next to President Kiir and above Vice President, James Wani Igga, in accordance with the terms of the peace agreement. President Kiir, according to Lieutenant General Malek Reuben Riak, deputy chief of general staff for logistics and head of the security arrangements committee representing the government, has given out instructions for withdrawal from Juba town despite lack of willingness and cooperation from senior government officials and military officers. “Our forces are preparing to leave. The commander in chief has directed the command and the chief of general staff [Paul Malong Awan] has given out instructions to departments and directorates involved in the preparations. The directorate of logistics is in charge of coordination,” said General Riak when asked to comment on what the command was doing during an exclusive interview with Sudan Tribune. The Chief General of staff, Awan, confirmed on Tuesday in a statement to the state-owned South Sudan Television (SSTV) that he had directed his deputies to prepare for withdrawal of troops in Juba to 25 kilometers outside the town as it was agreed in the peace agreement as part of interim security arrangements. Awan said he and his team were working with the advance team of the armed opposition faction of the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM-IO) in Juba to implement security arrangements. The army commander also denied media reports that he is an obstacle to implementation of the security arrangements in the country as he is allegedly opposed to the peace agreement. “It’s not true. I am a loyal officer to the system and the leadership and there is no way I can be against the directives of the president. It is the prerogative of the president to decide where to assign cadres,” said Awan. The top army general was said to be against the implementation of the peace agreement and blamed for some of the actions by President Kiir which have been condemned as impediment to the implementation of the peace deal. “I am working with the SPLM-IO (Sudan People’s Liberation Movement in Opposition) to implement security arrangement. Already I have given directives to my deputies and now they are working together with them,” he added. Vice President, James Wani Igga, while taking oath of office as the second vice president said the government was ready for formation of the new government and if all the parties to the agreement sit in one table, they would resolve all the outstanding issues, including the differences over 28 states. “I know that, this is a difficult moment of our history, the history of the new republic of South Sudan… but I believed with the trust, confidence and cooperation of my colleagues in the upcoming cabinet and particular cooperation between the parties to the agreement, if we cooperate, I am sure we will deliver to our people,” said Igga. (ST) http://www.sudantribune.com/spip.php?article57993 END6 ______________________ John Ashworth [email protected] +254 725 926 297 (Kenya mobile) +211 919 695 362 (South Sudan mobile) +27 79 832 8834 (South Africa mobile) +44 787 976 8030 (UK mobile) +88 216 4334 0735 (Thuraya satphone) PO Box 52002 - 00200, Nairobi, Kenya This is a personal e-mail address and the contents do not necessarily reflect the views of any organisation -- -- The content of this message does not necessarily reflect John Ashworth's views. Unless explicitly stated otherwise, John Ashworth is not the author of the content and the source is always cited. You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "sudan-john-ashworth" group. 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