Kiir does not want Machar to attend Uganda retreat – sources

JUBA – South Sudan’s President Salva Kiir Mayardit is reportedly behind the delay of the planned Uganda retreat in which he and opposition leader Dr. Riek Machar Teny, as well as other signatories to the revitalized peace agreement, are to discuss the stalemate in the implementation process of the revitalized peace agreement.

Last month, senior South Sudan presidency officials as well as those close to Machar, said they informed by the Ugandan authorities that President Salva and his first deputy Dr. Riek, would go to Ugandan where they would attend the peace retreat that aim at discussing the implementation of the 2018 peace agreement that has seen setbacks.

Kiir is saying that elections must be conducted in 2023, even if the consensus, crucial in conducting elections, has not been conducted. Machar says he won’t take part in the elections unless the security arrangements provided for in the revitalized peace agreement is completed and refugees in neighboring countries are repatriated.

The Uganda retreat, officials said, will discuss those issues and will try to find a common ground for the two men to either accelerate the reunification of forces and conduct elections in 2023, or postpone he vote that the international community has been calling for to be conducted to end the unending transitional governments in the world’s youngest country.

Speaking to Sudans Post this evening, a senior presidency official said President Salva does not want Machar to leave the country and has asked Uganda to only let Machar chose a delegation to represent him at the important meeting prompting Ugandan authorities to postpone the meeting which was otherwise supposed to take place this February.

“The meeting was supposed to take place this January, but the president has asked Ugandan authorities that Machar should be allowed personally to travel to Uganda given the policy of the government to keep Machar in the country until when the transitional period ended with the conduct of elections,” the official who wanted not to be named said.

There is no immediate answer to Sudans Post’s call to the Firs Vice President’s office, but opposition officials close to Machar have ruled out the possibility of President Kiir refusing to let Machar attend the important meeting, citing the political detention of Machar during the last time with one opposition official saying ‘it is not clear if the chairman and commander in chief is still under house arrest.”