South Sudan’s First Vice-President Machar has overruled government assertions that he and President Salva Kiir had struck a deal on the unification of their forces.
Cabinet Affairs Minister Martin Elia Lomuro said the two had reached an agreement for a joint force which is critical for the execution of the revitalised peace agreement.
Machar’s office in a statement termed the announcement as “false” adding that “the issue remains unresolved”.
The Minister had said the two leaders had decided that the President’s party takes 60 per cent share of the unified forces with the remaining share being divided between Machar’s party and other opposition parties.
Machar’s office however, said previous talks had proposed an equal share between President’s Kiir’s party and his side while another proposal called for a 50:45 sharing.
President Kiir and Machar formed a unity government in February last year and agreed, as part of a revitalised peace deal, to form a unified national army of 83,000 forces.
