South Sudan, opposition agree to open political space

By Benjamin Takpiny

JUBA, South Sudan (AA) - South Sudan's President Salva Kiir and opposition leader Riek Machar met Tuesday and agreed to allow leaders from the government and opposition to move freely throughout the country to disseminate a peace agreement to people at the grassroots level.

“We agreed to open political spaces for people to move freely because now we have peace, and people have to be free. It is not like the time we were fighting,” Machar told reporters in Juba.

They also agreed to send all military, police and security forces for training in two weeks so they will have unified forces before 100 days, he added.

Machar also said they have agreed on the outstanding issues that have delayed the formation of a unity government and will form a government after 100 days.

Kiir said the ceasefire in the country will continue to hold because they do not want the country to return to war.

“We said that after 100 days, we must form a government of national unity. If the arrangements are not complete, we shall form a transitional government of national unity to implement the outstanding issues,” he told reporters after the fourth face-to-face meeting with Machar in the capital.

“The ceasefire will continue to hold, and no one from us is willing to go back to war,” he said.

Kiir and Machar recently extended for the second time the pre-transitional period for 100 days to allow for the completion of the remaining tasks.

The parties failed to implement security arrangements such as the cantonment, screening, training, reunification and deployment of forces and an agreement on the number of states and boundaries during the first transitional period that ended in May.