Date: Tue, 19 Apr 2016 16:50:58 +0200
Disappointment for Juba as Machar fails to return again
South Sudanese rebel leader Riek Machar at a past press conference in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. PHOTO | FILE | AFP
By Fred Oluoch
Posted Tuesday, April 19 2016 at 16:13
Posted Tuesday, April 19 2016 at 16:13
In Summary
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His supporters and government officials, who waited for him on Monday and Tuesday were at a loss as to what was keeping the former rebel leader from returning, with his team members making one excuse after another.
Dr Riek Machar has once again failed to show up in Juba to take up his position as First Vice President Designate in the transitional government, turning the great expectations of South Sudanese into anxiety and disappointment.
His supporters and government officials, who waited for him on Monday and Tuesday were at a loss as to what was keeping the former rebel leader from returning, with his team members making one excuse after another.
William Ezekiel, the South Sudan People’s Liberation Movement in Opposition (SPLM-IO) spokesperson told journalists, who had gathered at the Juba airport as early as nine in the morning, that Dr Machar would not be arriving on Tuesday due to "unavoidable circumstances".
On Monday at about 5pm, Mr Ezekiel had said bad weather in Gambela in southern Ethiopia had kept Dr Machar from returning to Juba and set the date for Tuesday 2pm which has now been cancelled.
The EastAfrican has learnt that Dr Machar had wanted his chief-of-general-staff, Gen Simon Gatwech Dual, to travel to Juba before his arrival to take control of the 1,370 SPLM-IO troops.
However, sources close to the government say that the international community—especially Troika—that has been financing the logistics is uncomfortable with transporting Gen Dual, who is sanctioned by the United Nations as among the people who have been working against peace in South Sudan.
Government officials who are responsible for receiving Dr Machar avoided talking to the media in case they aggravated the situation.
SPLM-IO has since Wednesday been giving conditions that must be met before Dr Machar returns. Initially, Mr Ezekiel said President Salva Kiir had to lift the state of emergency order in the northern areas such as Malakal.
On Thursday, SPLM-IO said the Joint Monitoring and Evaluation Unit (JMEC), that is overseeing the implementation of the peace deal signed last August, must assure Dr Machar that Juba has been completely demilitarised and extra forces moved within 25km radius as per the agreement.
JMEC and the Ceasefire and Transitional Security Monitoring Mechanism (CTSAMM) are scheduled to confirm the cantonment of the government troops in seven locations Wednesday, April 20.
Theresa Burns, the CTSAMM chief of staff told The EastAfrican that she was not in a position to tell whether all extra government forces have been withdrawn from Juba until the confirmation exercise on April 20.
SPLA chief-of-general staff had on Friday announced that the government troops had completed their withdrawal from the capital.
Monday, government officials, diplomats and SPLM-IO officials waited at the VIP Lounge from morning as Dr Machar was expected to arrive between 11am and 1pm.
Shifting targets
But the SPLM-IO kept on changing the arrival time and ultimately at about 5.30pm, Mr Ezekiel announced to the media that Dr Machar could not make it because of the bad weather and also due to logistical reasons.