Machar rejects Kenyan proposal downsizing cabinet size

JUBA – South Sudan’s main armed opposition SPLM-IO leader and First Vice President Riek Machar has strongly opposed a proposal by Kenyan mediators that could see cabinet ministerial positions reduced to 20 and potentially extend the transitional government for five years.

The proposal, according to activists briefed on the talks, envisions extending the transitional period for “at least five years” with President Salva Kiir Mayardit and Machar remaining in their positions but with “curtailed powers and a slimmer cabinet.”

This approach stems from proposals submitted last week by two key stakeholders, the South Sudan Opposition Movements Alliance (SSOMA) and factions within the South Sudan United National Alliance (SSUNA) led by Stephen Buay Rolnyang.

In a written response to the mediators, Machar expressed concern that the proposal undermines the 2018 Revitalized Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in South Sudan (R-ARCSS) which he co-signed with Kiir.

“The document does not recognize the Revitalized Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in the Republic of South Sudan (R-ARCSS),” Machar said in the letter seen by Sudans Post, adding that the proposal “is apparently designed to replace the R-ARCSS.”

The R-ARCSS established a transitional government with 35 ministerial positions, nine of which are allocated to the main opposition group. A smaller cabinet could significantly reduce their share of positions, a prospect that worries Machar according to his close associates.

They fear internal strife within his group, which has already seen defections over disagreements about positions.

Machar further contends that the Kenyan mediation, known as the “Tumaini Initiative,” is attempting to supersede institutions established by the R-ARCSS. He warned that the initiative lacks authority to alter the existing agreement.

“In some sections of the document, the Initiative establishes alternative institutions replacing or running in parallel with those in R-ARCSS besides repeating most provisions in R-ARCSS or existing national laws,” he said.

“The Tumaini Initiative has no power to amend the R-ARCSS. Only the signatory parties acting together, which is the only body that has the power to initiate amendment of the R-ARCSS. The document has empowered the Tumaini Initiative to be one of the Institutions rather than being a mediation forum,” Machar added.

He argues that the initiative’s outcome is intended to supplement the R-ARCSS by incorporating non-signatory groups, not replace it.

“The Tumaini Initiative clearly abrogates the R-ARCSS when it was intended to complement the R-ARCSS by ensuring the inclusion of the non-signatories (holdout group) in the implementation of the R-ARCSS. Therefore, the Tumaini Initiative has deviated from its intended mandate,” Machar concluded.

Earlier, civil society activists involved in the Nairobi talks revealed that participating groups proposed transitional periods ranging from three to five years, alongside potential reductions in the size of the transitional government.

The sources claim that SSOMA, led by Generals Paul Malong Awan and Pagan Amum Okiech, favors a five-year extension. Within SSUNA, there’s disagreement with leader Buay Rolnyang advocating for five years while others, like General Laraka Machar, prefer a shorter three-year term with “accountability mechanisms for wartime crimes.”