By Yiep Joseph
President Salva Kiir is ready to meet First Vice President Dr. Riek Machar to address escalating security concerns in the country.
On Thursday, Dr. Machar submitted a request letter seeking a meeting with President Kiir to discuss the deteriorating security situation in the country.
In his letter, also sent to peace guarantors, Dr. Machar highlighted the need to break the current gridlock and find amicable solutions to issues such as the dismissal of officials without prior consultation.
Meanwhile, the Minister of Information, Communication, Technology, and Postal Services, Michael Makuei Lueth emphasized that President Kiir is committed to engaging with Dr. Machar.
The two leaders are expected to find solutions to the deteriorating security in Upper Nile, Western Equatoria, and Western Bahr el Ghazal states.
According to Makuei, President Kiir’s office has received the request and is committed to arranging the meeting between the two leaders.
“The requested meeting is still holding and will take place in the shortest possible period,” he said, without specifying when it will take place.
He said that President Salva Kiir remains committed to the implementation agreement and is always ready to attend in times of understanding.
“His Excellency President Salva Kiir Mayardit is committed to the implementation of the R-ARCISS in letter and spirit and protecting the people of South Sudan,” he said.
He expressed that most of the issues raised were to be discussed in the capacity of the peace parties to resolve without other members copied in the letter.
Makuei said that the parties did not enter any deadlock, adding that the president is meeting Dr. Machar over the issues outlined in the letter as soon as possible.
The spokesperson claimed that the government always acts as a solution in certain circumstances, where there is a misunderstanding. held in areas held by SPLA/M-IO
He expressed that the government is progressing with the implementation of the peace agreement.
“The violation all time, takes place in SPLM/A-IO-held areas, SPLM-IG always acts as the fire extinguisher,” he said.
The security situation in the three states has worsened over the past week.
It deteriorated further when President Salva Kiir dismissed officials from the SPLM-IO, allegedly without consulting the party as stipulated in the Agreement on the Resolution of Conflict in South Sudan.
In Western Bahr el Ghazal, confrontations have been reported between the SSPDF (Sudan People’s Defense Forces) and SPLA-IO (Sudan People’s Liberation Army-In Opposition) as the army implemented a resolution from the 8th Governor’s Forum, which demanded removal of all illegal checkpoints.
Ongoing clashes are currently taking place in Upper Nile State between government soldiers and opposition forces, intensified by the rotation of forces in Nasir, Upper Nile State.
Several people have reportedly been killed and others injured in these conflicts.
On Thursday, the African Union Mission in South Sudan (AUMISS), the Inter-governmental Authority on Development (IGAD), the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) and the Reconstituted Joint Monitoring and Evaluation Commission (RJMEC) raised a concern about ongoing tensions in Upper Nile State.
The three bodies called upon the Parties to urgently work together through the established mechanisms of the R-ARCSS to de-escalate the situation in order to restore calm in Upper Nile State.
“AUMISS, IGAD, UNMISS and RJMEC, therefore, call upon the leadership of the Revitalised Transitional Government of National Unity (RTGoNU) and the Joint Defence Board (JDB) to work collegially, and swiftly remedy the persistent security concerns in all the three states. We caution that if left unaddressed, these incidents could potentially undermine the Permanent Ceasefire, which remains the cornerstone of the Revitalized Peace Agreement,” the statement partly read.
“We once again underscore the need to progress the full and rapid unification and urgent deployment of the Necessary Unified Forces to boost public faith and trust in the RTGoNU’s commitment to lasting peace and stability in South Sudan, at this critical time as the country commences the fourth extension of its ongoing Transitional Period,” it added.