A faction of the armed opposition faction (SPLM-IO) in Juba nominated Taban Deng Gai, a former chief negotiator to replace Machar in July, but his appointment was described as “illegal” by Machar’s supporters and regional leaders.
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He was received at Khartoum airport by Sudan’s First Vice-President Bakri Hassan Salih and a number of cabinet ministers.
Ayii said other objective of the mission is to assure the Khartoum of the commitment of the government to implementing peace agreement and move forward. We are not a party to decide who becomes South Sudan’s vice-president.
“Our stance regarding the IGAD is clear”.
Machar fled Juba last month and is in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), sources say.
Sudan, along with member states of the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), exerts mediation efforts to settle the ongoing conflict in South Sudan; a power struggle pitting the president against his former deputy.
“Khartoum was not involved in the rescue operation, there was no any Sudanese airplane used as reported”, he said.
The recent IGAD summit in the Rwandan capital Kigali made a decision to only recognize the Government of National Unity formed according to the peace deal signed between Presidents Kiir and Machar, which stipulates that Machar be the First Vice-President.
The government spokesman further said Riek Machar should stay away from practicing politics until time comes for elections, saying the opposition leader should come back as a normal citizen of South Sudan.
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Relations between the two nations soured after South Sudan’s independence following a series of disputes over a number of issues.
