A deadlock regarding security arrangements has been reached after President Salva Kiir Mayardit demanded that 60 percent of all the unified forces be allocated to him. the SPLM-IO spokesperson Manawa Peter Gatkuoth confirmed in an address that South Sudan parties to the revitalized peace agreement have reached a serious deadlock with no conclusions at the moment.
As a reference to the revitalized peace agreement, all the parties to the revitalized peace agreement shall unify their forces to form a single national army that shall comprise of 112,000 strong men. 56,000 (or 50%) of that army shall come from the South Sudan People’s Defense Forces (SSPDF) under President Salva Kiir Mayardit. This is currently facing heavy criticisms with contentious matters that still remain crucial in the country’s politics.
The remaining half shall be divided between South Sudan’s main armed opposition Sudan people’s Liberation Movement in Opposition (SPLM/A-IO) led by First Vice President Dr. Riek Machar Teny, South Sudan Opposition Alliance (SSOA) led by Josephine Lagu, and other signatories to the revitalized peace agreement having forces on the ground.
According to Gatkuoth, IGAD was expected to press the parties to remain committed to the brokered agreement. Such a proposal is not good because it will encourage them to seek to renegotiate other dispositions and undermine the whole process.
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