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May 6, 2016 (JUBA) – A senior media official in the office of the First Vice-President, Riek Machar, has downplayed media reports of security tensions in Juba between bodyguards of the top leaders in the country.

South Sudan President Salva Kiir (C) poses for a picture after the government swearing in with his first deputy Riek Machar (R) and second deputy James Wani on 29 April 2016 (Photo Moses Lomayat)

Some media outlets have reported that security tensions occurred since Wednesday between Machar's bodyguards and those of the President, Salva Kiir, which prevented the first vice-president from going to his office.

Machar since his swearing in into office 10 days ago on Tuesday last week has not yet started work in his official office, and has been doing his official meetings at his residence of Jebel Kujur in the outskirts of the city, about 5kms away from the presidential palace.

However, his press secretary, James Gatdet Dak, downplayed the report, saying unfinished preparations of the first vice-president's office caused the delay.

“There is no security tension in Juba as reported in the media. What I know is that the office for the First Vice President is being arranged,” Dak said.

He however added that despite the lack of office, Machar also comes to office for official government's meetings, including the council of ministers meeting.

“He has been coming to the government's premises for important meetings. On Thursday he also chaired an induction workshop for the new transitional cabinet, and on Friday he co-chaired with President Salva Kiir the first sitting of the new cabinet,” he added.

Dak further explained that as soon as the office for the first vice-president and his staff is availed, he will officially begin to work in it.

MACHAR MEETS CHINESE ENVOY

Meanwhile Dak said Machar on Thursday met with the Special Envoy for South Sudan from the People's Republic of China, Ambassador Zhong Zianhua, and discussed the role the Chinese government should play in supporting the implementation of the Peace Agreement in South Sudan.

“The meeting focused on the need for the Chinese government to support priority projects on peace and security in the country as well as services delivery to the needy people in South Sudan,” he said.

He said Machar reiterated the importance of doubling efforts by the Chinese government as a development partner to South Sudan to help the country in restoring peace and stabilizing the economy.

Machar, he said, appealed to the Chinese government to allocate to South Sudan some of the 16 billion US dollars China has earmarked for Africa.

On his part, the Chinese Special Envoy, Zianhua, expressed his country's readiness to play a great role in the implementation of the peace agreement and in the stabilization of the country's security and economy.

(ST)

May 6, 2016 (KHARTOUM) - Sudan's dialogue mechanism known as 7+7 has dismissed the memorandum submitted by national figures to President Omer al-Bashir as “elitist” and said the president is committed to implement the outcome of the dialogue conference.

Members of the national dialogue general assembly and President Omer al-Bashir attend the third session of the internal process in Khartoum on August 20, 2015 (Photo AFP/Ashraf Shazly)

Last week, 52 national figures including former Prime Minister Al-Gizouli Dafallaa revealed that they handed over a memo titled the National Initiative for Peace and Reform to the presidency calling on Bashir to establish a transitional government to address the national crises and make structural change in the system of governance.

However, member of the 7+7 committee and secretary general of the Popular Congress Party (PCP) Kamal Omer has criticized the memo, describing the signatories as “limited elite”.

He pointed that President Bashir has pledged to implement the outcome of the national conference.

“It [ the memo] is vague and it deals with minor issues such as the executive power while the national dialogue which is the largest political project since independence has discussed all governance issues,” he said.

Omer told the semi-official Sudan Media Center (SMC) that the memo calls for forming a government of technocrats with unclear tasks while the national dialogue recommended a government of national consensus, saying the time for the technocratic governments is over.

“We can't get a head of the national dialogue and allow a group of people to submit a memo which includes issues that have been discussed at length in the dialogue conference”, he added

He renewed their commitment to the national dialogue saying they wouldn't allow any party to circumvent its outcome.

“We had enough of the memos and views of the elitist groups” said Omer

HOLDOUT GROUPS AND DIALOGUE

For its part, the ruling National Congress Party (NCP) disclosed that the 7+7 mechanism has reached understandings with some of the holdout groups to join the national dialogue.

NCP deputy chairman and presidential aide Ibrahim Mahmoud Hamid said the general secretariat of the dialogue conference has prepared the draft document of the recommendations.

He told the SMC that arrangements for holding the general conference would start soon, saying the participants would discuss the recommendations and the proposed national document.

Hamid added that the dialogue process is still ongoing in order to bring in the largest number of the holdout opposition to agree on the national constants, saying the 7+7 mechanism managed to convince new forces to join the dialogue.

The internal dialogue conference was inaugurated in Khartoum on October 10 th, 2015 amid large boycott from the major political and armed opposition.

Political forces members of the opposition alliance National Consensus Forces (NCF) and other parties refuse to take part in the dialogue conference before the creation of a conducive environment and the implementation of specific confidence-building measures provided in a roadmap proposed by the African Union mediation team.

Some significant political parties, such as the National Umma Party, the Reform Now Movement and the Just Peace Forum, that approved the process in the beginning.

But later they suspended their participation, criticizing the government refusal to postpone the general elections and the lack of political freedoms.

Also, the major armed movements in Darfur, South Kordofan and Blue Nile refrained from participating in the dialogue conference citing similar demands.

(ST)

May 6, 2016 (KHARTOUM) -Sudan's foreign ministry Friday said the tripartite team tasked with developing an exit strategy for the hybrid peacekeeping mission in Darfur (UNAMID) would start a visit to Darfur's five states on Monday.

Peacekeepers from the hybrid African Union-United Nations operation in Darfur (UNAMID) patrol the damaged and empty Labado village in South Darfur on 10 December 2013 (Photo: Reuters/Mohamed Nureldin Abdallah)

A tripartite working group including the Sudanese government, African Union (AU) and United Nations (UN) has been set up in February 2015 to develop an exit strategy for the UNAMID from Darfur.

In its meeting on 18 April in Khartoum, the tripartite team decided to conduct field visits to Darfur before to start a gradual and smooth exit from the restive region.

Sudan's foreign ministry spokesperson Ali al-Sadiq said the team would visit Darfur's five states between 8 to 16 May to see the ground realities, saying it would submit a report to the joint mechanism at the end of the visit.

He added the team would also hold a meeting in Khartoum on 23 May to approve the outcome of its visit to Darfur, saying the joint mechanism would also discuss other issues pertaining to the UNAMID's performance and exit from Darfur.

Al-Sadiq expressed hope that the outcome of the tripartite team work would be included in the report that will be presented by the United Nations chief Ban Ki Moon to the UN Security Council in early June.

It is noteworthy that the UN linked the full withdrawal of the peacekeeping operation from Darfur region with signing of a ceasefire agreement within a peace agreement where the protection of civilians can be ensured.

The hybrid mission has been deployed in Darfur since December 2007 with a mandate to stem violence against civilians in the western Sudan's region.

It is the world's second largest international peacekeeping force with an annual budget of $1.35 billion and almost 20,000 troops.

UN agencies say there are nearly 2.5 million displaced persons in Darfur, despite the signing of peace agreement in Doha in July 2011.

(ST)

May 6, 2016 (JUBA) - South Sudan's newly-appointed minister of irrigation and water resources, Mabior Garang de Mabior was on Friday ordered out of the country's first cabinet meeting since the formation of the Transitional National Unity Government (TGoNU).

Mabior John Garang de Mabior (File photo MC Clatchy Newspapers)

Garang said the expulsion order came from President Salva Kiir over his "inappropriate" dressing.

The youthful minister said he was in shock “after being kicked out by Salva Kiir from the first sitting of the council of ministers for being inappropriately dressed.”

Garang had appeared the meeting, held weekly, in a black suit, white shirt and black bow tie, a day after ministers undertook an induction workshop where they were informed of protocol for meetings, including dress codes, which were not specified.

Garang, however, insisted that focusing on one's clothing was a distraction from real issues the young nation faces.

“There is no fuel in Juba and people are still in UNMISS [UN mission in South Sudan] PoCs [Protection of Civilian sites]," he posted on his Facebook page.

There was no immediate reaction from the presidency over the bizarre cabinet incident.

(ST)

May 5, 2016 (KHARTOUM) – The Sudan Armed Forces (SAF) said it will continue military operations to on the positions of the rebel Sudan People Liberation Movement- North (SPLM-N) in South Kordofan.

SAF Chief of General Staff, Ltd General Emad al-Din Adawi,

The Sudanese army and allied militia since more than three months carry out the traditional summer military campaign on the rebel controlled areas in South Kordofan and Blue Nile.

The two warring parties have claimed victories, as the peace process is stalled and there is not prospect for a political solution.

Speaking to the troops of the 14th Infantry Division in Kadugli on Thursday, SAF Chief of General Staff, Ltd General Emad al-Din Adawi, said that the army will continue the summer military operation against what he called “SPLM mercenaries”.

Adawi further said the armed forces are “capable of forcing the rebels to accept the option of peace by the force of arms”, and pledged to continue operations until peace is achieved.

The Sudanese general reiterated the government seriousness to reach peace pointing to the signing of the African Union High-Level Implementation Panel (AUHIP) brokered “Roadmap Agreement” last March.

He added that SPLM-N refusal to sign it demonstrate their unwillingness to reach a peaceful settlement for the conflict.

Since 2011, Sudanese Armed Forces is fighting the SPLM-N fighters in South Kordofan and Blue Nile. Some 12 rounds of talks between the government of Sudan and SPLM-N failed to achieve peace.

The Commander of the 14th Division, Major-General Yasir al-Atta, said that SAF have retaken the control of several strategic areas from the SPLM-N.

“SAF will prevail for the sake of peace and securing the homeland, after what the people South Kordofan state would enjoy peace and stability,” Al-Atta further said.

(ST)

May 5, 2016 (KAMPALA) – Students from South Sudan's Unity state, currently studying in Uganda, have sent series of condolences to two fallen heroes from the region.

Last week, Dhiaydor Tutroal, the Leek Nuer spiritual leader and Gideon Jageah, a high profile member of Unity state's traditional court and council of elders passed on.

Kel Tap Jock, the chairperson of the students' union in Uganda, sent condolences on behalf of the students.

“As a body that represents Unity state sons and daughters in Uganda, we cannot withstand the state of depression we are going through after we received sad news,” he said.

Jock described the fallen leader as “guiding guitars” that fought for the reconciliation and restoration of trust for the peaceful coexistence of the Unity state population.

“We ask God to protect and maintain the few ones who are still surviving for the welfare of our country,” stressed Jock.

The student leader urged members of the union to stay united and ensure they maintain the legacy left behind by the two fallen heroes who stood for justice.

(ST)

May 5, 2016 (JUBA) – People residing in the South Sudan capital, Juba have asked the newly formed transitional unity government to help improve the high costs of living.

Motorcycles line up for hours to get fuel before it runs out July 18, 2012 in Juba, South Sudan. (Getty)

South Sudan's new Transitional Government of National Unity faces an uphill task of reviving a largely oil-dependent economy to support its annual budget.

The oil sector, which accounts for over 90 per cent of government revenues, has been badly affected the recent war, in addition to the decline in oil prices on world markets.

Commodity prices also shot up due to the devaluation of the local currency, South Sudanese pound, which has gravely impacted on the transport sector in the country.

The most affected are importers of food items and general household goods who have to deal with sharply increased prices to bring in goods from its neighbouring countries.

Oyet William, a commercial cyclist in the South Sudan capital, has to toil daily in order to fend for his family. His business has been badly hit by the high fuel prices.

“People are suffering always and that is how life goes on. In the case of food, if you go to a hotel, you will find a plate at 35 pounds and in some places it is 30 pounds,” Oyet says.

Initially, he adds, one would only pay just 5SSP for a plate of food.

Aisha Peter, a tea vendor in Juba, is also facing the country's economic pinch.

“For sure, life in Juba is hard, without a job, you cannot survive and so one has to do a small business to let kids get food, we are doing this because children have to school and get food,” she told Sudan Tribune Thursday.

The conflict, which broke out in 2013, has negatively impacted on the nation's citizens, including pushing the country to the brink of famine with 5.8 million people, nearly half of the population, in desperate need of humanitarian assistance, a joint United Nations assessment report recently-showed.

South Sudan, one of the world's poorest nations, has worst indicators on health, development and education.

(ST)

May 5, 2016 (JUBA) - Members of parliament in the newly created Aweil state (Northern Bhar el Ghazal) have rejected a proposal by the state minister of finance seeking to raise household taxes from natives of the area, despite many struggling to make a living on daily basis.

Aweil politicians at community meeting in Juba on 1 Nov. 2012 (ST)

The state authorities, according to president Kiir at the time of announcing the order in October 2015, were to generate revenues from the local people to be able to fund their operations.

However, with people being unable to make a living for themselves, it puts to question how the authorities would sustain their operations and how it would achieve the objective for which the new administrative units were created.

In most areas of Bahr el Ghazal region, and particularly areas adjacent to neigbouring Sudan, civilians due to hunger and insecurity have massively crossed into Sudan where they have been put into concentration camps as refugees and fed by humanitarian organizations.

Speaking in an interview with Sudan Tribune from Aweil town on Thursday, the head of parliamentary affairs committee responsible for information, Benson Opuothmalo, said the decision of the parliament to suspend taxing civilians was born out of the fact that the citizens would not pay because of hunger.

“The decision of the house was made in recognition of the situation facing our people. This year is a very bad year. The citizens are struggling to make a living. If it were a good year, the house of course would have examined the proposal to see how the areas and projects requiring funding through local revenues would be used and how much was required,” said Opuothmalo.

“But because this is a bad year, we told the minister of finance to suspend and leave the house collections until the situation improved. When the situation improved the house collections will resume. This was only what we have done in the assembly,” he further explained.

Aweil state is one of the controversial 28 states which came into existence as a result of presidential order creating more administrative units despite signing the peace agreement on the basis of 10 states.

The new state was curved out of five counties, some of which became states of their own. Others were merged with counties from other states to form another state in fulfilment of presidential establishment.

Aweil state is formed out of an amalgamation of Aweil south, Centre and areas around Aweil town, the capital of the new state.

The counties of Aweil West and North have been merged with Raja which was a county under Western Bahr el Ghazal state to form a new Lol state.

Aweil East, which was one of the five counties forming the defunct Northern Bahr el Ghazal state, became a state of its own.

The new states are yet to receive a budget and have continued to operate on a shared budget previously meant for 10 states, making it difficult to provide services to the people.

Finance State Minister, Garang Majak, welcomed the decision of the house but further argued that the government has the right to raise taxes from household to provide basic services to the people.

Majority of the 28 states have no budget and the newly appointed governors and their commissioners have been asking the citizens, also seen poor, to contribute to the new governments so that they buy vehicles for officials as well as cater for other operational necessities.

(ST)

By Gordon Buay

Politics is NOT only a dirty game as the saying goes. It is also a game where allowing your opponents to cock their guns to should you is considered a fetal mistake. A smart politician is someone who hangs his opponents before they hang him.

Dr. Riek Machar should learn from late Meles Zenawi who foiled a political coup against him in 2000 by 16 members of the TPLF party. Right now, the jobbists who did not get the ministries of milk and honey are using a new tactic Riek Machar should not ignore. There are two dangerous characters of the SPLM-IO who have started bribing and mobilizing the educated class of the IO against Dr. Riek Machar. If Dr. Riek Machar ignores these political mosquitoes and allows them to infect his Movement with the Malaria parasites, the symptoms will be fetal.

The 1st VP should borrow from Meles Zenawi and dismiss the jobbists from their positions before they hang him. The politics of positions in South Sudan always ends up in violence. The SPLM-IO jobbists who openly came out to oppose Dr. Riek Machar should be purged by the 1st VP if he wants his rule to be stable.

There is a Nuer adage that dealing with a man who has money is a very complicated thing. The jobbists who are now against Dr. Riek Machar have money that they can use to buy loyalty of political and military members of the SPLM-IO. If the 1st VP allows them to gain momentum, he would face a lot of problems. The best way for him to deal with them is to hang the jobbists before they hang him.

There is an abundant research which proves that most elites of the liberation movements in Africa who come to towns after the conclusion of the peace end up fighting over positions and sugar. That is now what is happening within the IO. Those corruption lords of the IO who think that they have entitlement to the ministries of milk and honey will fight Dr. Riek Machar for denying them the ministries where they could grab public resources to recover their loses incurred during the war.

What Dr. Riek Machar should do now is to launch a preemptive strike against those corruption lords who are now agitating to topple him. The biggest mistake a politician can make is to allow his enemy to sharpen a knife that will be used to cut his throat. The best strategy is to stop your opponent before sharpening the knife. No one can return a bullet to the shell once it is fired. Scientifically, it is not possible. If Dr. Riek allows his opponents within the IO to mobilize the supporters of the IO against him, he will not be able to control them once they start to slaughter him.

I am really shocked to learn that one of the IO corruption lords took millions of dollars from the international businessmen with the hope that once he got the ministry of milk and honey, he would give those businessmen contracts. Now that the hope of getting such a ministry is zero, the corruption lord would ensure to cut the throat of the 1st VP. In that case, Dr. Riek should hang his enemies before they hang him. That is what I believe he should do to save his rule from being undermined by the political entrepreneurs.

The author is an Ambassador at the South Sudan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation.

May 5, 2016 (JUBA) - A race to elect a speaker of the transitional national legislative assembly from Equatorian politicians has begun in the South Sudan's capital, Juba, with names being sent to President Salva Kiir.

President Salva Kiir Mayardit speaks to the National Legislature on the occasion of the inauguration of the three years extension of his mandate, on July 8, 2015 (Photo Moses Lomayat)

Four personalities whose names have been forwarded to Presidnent Kiir by the Equatorian caucus on the side of the pre-unity government's faction include David Nailo, Betty Achan Ogwaro, Luka Tombekana Monoja, and Anthony Lino Makana.

Chairman of the Equatoria caucus in the national parliament said he expected Equatorians from all the political parties to sit together to elect the speaker regardless of political affiliations.

Thomas Wani Kundu told Sudan Tribune that the political affiliation of the nominee does not matter as long as the person is from the Equatoria region.

“We need to sit together so that we can get one person… as long as he is from Equatoria,” Kundu said.

The peace agreement signed in August 2015 by President Kiir and opposition's leader, Riek Machar, has given the position of speaker of national parliament to Equatorians to nominate it.

Kundu said the SPLM in Opposition (SPLM-IO) is also expected to present a nominee for the position.

One of the competitors in the Equatorian race for national parliamentary speaker said integrity should be a precondition for selecting the speaker.

Speaking to Bakhita Radio “Wake up Juba” programme, Luka Tombekana Monoja said the candidate to the position should be elected based on merit.

Tombekana urges the competitors to demonstrate pride to the public, saying the citizens have lost hope in both the government and the opposition.

“What we need to see now is restoring the hope of the citizens and stabilizing the economy otherwise our dream is doomed” Tombekana remarked.

The parties to the agreement have not however agreed on the mode of electing the speaker.

(ST)

May 4, 2016 (JUBA) - The United Nations Security Council has called on South Sudan's transitional unity government to end the cycles of violence and fully implement the peace agreement signed by its warring parties in August 2015.

A UN Security Council session in New York (Photo courtesy of the UN)

In a statement to the media on Wednesday, the 15-nation body welcomed the formation on 29 April of the Transitional Government of National Unity (TGoNU), describing is as “an important milestone” in implementing the agreement.

The TGoNU, it said, should “work together to fully implement the agreement and bring an end to the cycles of violence and suffering, including by adhering to the permanent ceasefire, and by urgently creating the transitional institutions envisioned in the agreement, which are needed to maintain security and build trust between the parties.”

The Council also called on the TGoNU to urgently remove impediments on the ground to the delivery of humanitarian assistance, as there are 2.5 million people displaced from their homes and 6.1 million people in need of such aid.

The Security Council further called on South Sudan government to allow the UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) free movement to exercise its mandate, including protection of civilians and investigation of human rights violations, while condemning, in the strongest terms, the attack against the UNMISS compound in Bentiu on 25 April.

Leaders of the world's youngest nation have finally formed the long-awaited transitional unity government, ending over two years of civil war that displaced over 2 million people.

As the two leaders form a unity government, among its first challenges, observers say, will be to overcome mistrust between them. Besides, there are other rebel groups which did not sign the peace deal and this could prove a setback.

Last week, the United Nations Secretary-General, Ban Ki-moon welcomed the new unity government, describing it a “new phase” in the implementation of the peace deal.

South Sudan, heavily reliant on oil revenues to fund it budget, is one of poorest countries in the world with the worst indicators on development, health and education.

(ST)

May 5, 2016 (KHARTOUM) - Sudan security agents on Thursday broke into the office of prominent lawyer and rights activist Nabeel Adib Abdallah and arrested several university students.

Anti-riot police uses water cannon to disperse student protesting outside Khartoum university on April 26, 2016 (ST Photo)

On Tuesday, the Vice Chancellor of the University of Khartoum (UofK) decided to shut down the university indefinitely and ordered dismissal of 17 students for involvement in recent demonstrations.

Some of the students went to Abdallah's office to hire him to challenge the dismissal decision.

Abdallah told Sudan Tribune that 15 armed men in civilian clothes broke into his office on Thursday afternoon and identified themselves as National Intelligence and Security Services (NISS) agents.

He pointed that the armed men ordered the students to sit on the ground and started beating them before they took 11 of them and two office employees to an unknown location, saying the two employees were later released.

Abdallah described the incident as “a serious precedent and a flagrant attempt against the legal profession and the defendants' rights for just trial”, saying he immediately informed the president of the bar association of what had occurred.

Massive demonstrations erupted at the UofK since two weeks ago following press statements made by the Minister of Tourism Mohamed Abu Zaid in which he indicated government intention to transfer the university from its location and to lease out its former premises for tourism purposes.

Dozens of students were arrested and others wounded in the protests following the intervention of the police with tear gas and rubber bullets several times.

(ST)

May 5, 2016 (JUBA) - South Sudanese President, Salva Kiir, has on Wednesday evening unexpectedly issued a republican order announcing unilateral appointment of high profile ten-member presidential advisory team without consulting with the opposition factions, sparking denunciations and questions about motives behind the appointments.

President Salva Kiir addresses the nation at the South Sudan National Parliament in Juba, November 18, 2015. (Photo Reuters/Jok Solomon)

According to the presidential decree broadcast by the state owned South Sudan Television (SSTV), President Kiir appointed former deputy speaker of the national legislative assembly, Daniel Awet Akot, as advisor for military affairs.

The decree appointed all the 10 advisers from President Kiir's group and none was from the other opposition factions such as the SPLM-IO led by the First Vice-President, Riek Machar, former detainees and other political parties.

Akot, who will be advising on military issues is a senior member of the SPLM and has served in various high profile assignments, including having been a minister of internal affairs and a state governor in the past.

The same decree also appointed former Central Equatoria state governor, Clement Wani Konga, as a presidential advisor for special affairs. It is unclear what his specific duties will entail.

Former deputy secretary general of the SPLM, Anne Itto, was also named as an advisor for agriculture and food security.

The secretary general of the Islamic council in the country, Tahir Bior, was named as an advisor for religious affairs.

The former government's chief mediator during peace talks with the armed opposition, Nhial Deng Nhial, was appointed as a senior advisor and presidential envoy.

Tor Deng Mawien, a relative of the president and long-time political ally, was reappointed as an advisor for decentralization and intergovernmental linkages while Tut Kew Gatluak was reappointed as an advisor for security affairs.

Former minister of education, John Gai Yoh was named as an advisor for educational affairs,

Other presidential aides who were reappointed into their previous portfolios include Aggrey Tisa Sabuni as an economic affairs advisor and Lawrence Korbandy as the legal affairs advisor.

Observers are keen to point out that the latest developments represent an attempt by the president to preempt demands to share advisory team and to frustrate efforts to implement the peace agreement which he signed with armed opposition under the overall leadership of the First Vice-President, Riek Machar.

Others stress that the development depicts the intention of the president to assemble another shadow cabinet with whom he would be working instead of the ministers of the transitional government of national unity, given the nature of the assignment of the new presidential advisory team.

The peace agreement also makes no mention of advisers. Article 4.1 of Chapter I states the “Executive of the Transitional Government of National Unity shall comprise the President, the First Vice President, the Vice President, the Council of Ministers and the Deputy Ministers.”

Critics now say the appointments are therefore a clear violation of the peace agreement, describing the development as political ploy designed to make the work of the cabinet ministers from other parties more difficult.

Determining the number and appointment of advisers is one of the contentious issues the parties were yet to agree on.

(ST)

May 5, 2016 (JUBA) – South Sudan first vice president, Riek Machar, has called on the former warring parties, but now peace partners to release prisoners of war (PoWs) from prisons across the country.

Riek Machar answers questions during a press conference in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa on July 9, 2014 (Photo AFP/Zacharias Abubeker)

Speaking at an induction workshop organized on Thursday in Juba by the ministry of cabinet affairs and attended by the newly sworn in ministers, Machar said it was time to free them.

“The release is a roadmap to stability and peace to everyone in South Sudan because the war has ended,” Machar made the remark on Thursday in capital Juba while addressing the induction on new cabinet's conduct of business.

The vice president made his remark on Thursday in capital Juba at the opening of parliament affairs ministry induction workshop for the ministers of the Transitional Government of National Unity.

“Am sure and aware that there are many prisoners, politicians and other people who were detained in connection to the conflict and are still under military detention facilities across the country, they must be set free,” said Machar.

“There are serious issues in the agreement that JMEC may not resolve or the CTSAMM may not resolve it. It will be the cabinet that will resolve it and if we all work together, we will definitely resolve all these issues.”

While the former leadership continue rejecting the cantonments of the SPLA-IO in some regions including former Bahr el Ghazal and Western Equatoria, Machar reiterated that if there are forces in any area in the Country, there should be a consideration funding them during the transitional period before they could be reintegrated into national army.

He also called on the parties to fully implement the peace agreement, saying cooperation among the parties is essential.

(ST)