According to the agreement signed in August past year, President Kiir will pick 16 cabinet ministers, SPLM-IO will have 10 ministerial slot while the former detainees and other political parties each have two for the 30-member cabinet.
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“I think if Riek Machar comes, it [the South Sudan pound] will come down”, he said, speaking of the wildly fluctuating local currency’s value against the United States dollar.
“The government denied landing permission to flights for the return of opposition leader Riek Machar”.
Machar took up the post under the terms of a peace agreement reached eight months ago, implementation of which had been repeatedly delayed by disputes between Machar and the government of President Salva Kiir.
Machar was driven immediately from the airport to the presidential palace to be sworn in, spokesman William Ezekiel said.
Machar was previously Kiir’s deputy, but was dismissed amid a power struggle in July 2013. Just last week, it was put off again, until global mediators intervened to end a dispute over how many soldiers and what weapons Machar would be allowed to bring with him.
Machar who arrived aboard United Nations plane amid tight security from the government and opposition forces is expected to be sworn-in later Tuesday to mark the beginning of a 30-month transitional period.
“With my arrival, we will push for the other obstacles and get rid of them and implement the peace agreement”, said Machar.
“The success of the peace deal will be reflected in improvements in the humanitarian situation and the confidence of the displaced to return home”.
There are expectations Machar’s arrival means the problems will be solved swiftly, but there will be no quick fix. Fighting sparked in the landlocked, East African country in December 2013 several months after Machar was ousted from office, with the government accusing troops loyal to Machar of attempting to carry out a coup.
It has included the abduction and rape of thousands of women and girls, massacres of civilians, recruitment of child soldiers, murder, mutilation and even cannibalism.
Machar has more than 1,500 armed troops in the capital, while government forces have officially just over double that.
South Sudan is the world’s newest country, having gained independence from Sudan in 2011.
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Despite Machar’s repeated delays, which has further set back his swearing-in date and the formation of the Transitional Government of National Unity, Makuei urged South Sudanese to remain hopeful.
