Kiir, Machar forms ‘higher committee’ for development of peace roadmap – Lomuro

 

JUBA – South Sudan’s President Salva Kiir Mayardit and his first deputy Dr. Riek Machar Teny have on Thursday afternoon agreed to form a committee for development of an inclusive roadmap that will guide the world’s youngest country to democratic elections, a senior government official said.

Speaking to journalists following an extra-ordinary cabinet meeting in Juba on Thursday, cabinet minister Martin Elia Lomuro said the roadmap that was developed by President Salva Kiir was submitted to the council of ministers and adjustments were suggested and endorsed.

“The meeting heard the roadmap, the proposal of the president, on how the country should move forward at the end of the transitional period,” Lomuro said.

“The parties were taken through the details of the implementation of chapter one, chapter two, chapter five, and chapter six on the start date and finish date to give us a broad outlook as to how long much time needed to finish to solve key provisions that are necessary,” he added.

The senior government official said First Vice President Machar and leader of the main armed opposition Sudan People’s Liberation Movement in Opposition (SPLM-IO) made contributions to the president’s proposal and the two tasked a committee that will include other signatories to the revitalized peace agreement to make adjustments to the roadmap.

“After the presentation, the leadership of the parties to the agreement, including the leader of the SPLM-IO which is a leading partner in the agreement, made a contribution and we agreed that the roadmap has provided the revitalized government of with a very good way forward and that the higher committee comprising of representatives to the agreement will now bring in the contribution of the other parties which did not participate in the development of the roadmap,” he said.

“So we are happy that the parties to the agreement are in the process of invoking article 8.4 of the agreement in which case a document which will be owned by us will be produced in order to continue to maintain peace and the permanent ceasefire in the country and to lead us to a democratic manner that will lead to a government by the people and for the people,” he added.