Fwd: [sudans-john-ashworth] Interviews with First VP Dr Riek Machar

[Elisabeth Janaina]

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: "John Ashworth" <ashwor...@gmail.com>
Date: 13 Feb 2016 12:40
Subject: [sudans-john-ashworth] Interviews with First VP Dr Riek Machar
To: "Group" <sudans-joh...@googlegroups.com>
Cc:

1. Al Jazeera Interview with Dr Riek Machar [before his appointment as
First Vice President]

Q&A: The future peace in South Sudan

Al Jazeera speaks to opposition leader Riek Machar about ongoing
efforts towards forming a national unity government.

Catherine Wambua-Soi | 03 Feb 2016 08:11 GMT

Juba, South Sudan - Setting up a unity government in South Sudan has
been further delayed, a setback in efforts to end a brutal conflict
that has killed thousands of people over the past two years.

Despite missing key deadlines, warring parties were scheduled to
establish a transitional government after a peace deal was signed by
President Salva Kiir and rebel leader Riek Machar in August.

But the progress has been slow.

Al Jazeera spoke to Riek Machar of the armed opposition Sudan People's
Liberation Movement (SPLM/A IO) about the efforts to implement the
signed peace deal.

Riek Machar, rebel leader in South Sudan

Al Jazeera: Government officials we've talked to allege you are the
one holding back the process of forming a unity government. What's
your response?

Riek Machar: First of all, I'm not holding back the process. We were
engaged in the process of incorporating the peace agreement into a
constitution. There have been differences over this issue and
particularly over the new 28 states. We are saying that the creation
of 28 states is a violation, and this violation must be corrected
first.

I think that IGAD council of ministers have now changed the sequence
of the road map to the formation of the transitional government of
national unity. We will now form the government after Juba is
demilitarised and our troops go in. So the sequence is slightly
changed, we think this is good.

We will prepare ourselves and our troops to go to Juba to form the
joint integrated security force. In total 2,910  of our troops will be
going to Juba and the government will have nearly 3,000 troops, then
the rest will go out of Juba. After that, we can start forming the
government of national unity.

Al Jazeera: And what is the time frame for this?

Riek Machar: If we get assistance from the international community to
take our troops to Juba it should take a maximum of three weeks.

Al Jazeera: The matter of the 28 states - has that been resolved?

Riek Machar: If we take the IGAD (Inter-Governmental Authority on
Development) communique, the 28 states issue will be shelved until a
month after we form the government of national unity. We will together
discuss the need of having 28 states, maintaining the 10 that are
already in place, or finding a middle ground. I think it's no longer
an obstacle to the formation of the transitional government of
national unity, nor is it any more an obstacle in trying to have an
agreed draft for the constitution.

Al Jazeera: There's so much mistrust between your side and the
government. How will you govern a country with such division.

Riek Machar: I don't think there is what you call mistrust. There are
disagreements. There was disagreement over the 28 states. Sometimes
there's different interpretation of the text of the agreement. This I
can't say to be mistrust.

Al Jazeera: Every time progress is made, a new condition comes up.
South Sudanese are frustrated. Will there be further stumbling blocks?

Riek Machar: I think you are a good judge and you know what's wrong.
If the government introduces 28 states 39 days after the peace
agreement was signed by them, that is clearly creating an obstacle to
the implementation of the peace agreement. In actual fact for the past
three weeks, the discussion was over this issue. The lack of progress
on the constitution was because of this issue.

Al Jazeera: Can you assure the people of South Sudan that you will not
go back to Juba with more conditions, and you will, together with the
government, form this transitional government they've been waiting so
long for?

Riek Machar: I want to be in Juba. I want the government of national
unity to be formed as soon as possible. All we need is to ensure that
the obstacles that were creating difficulties for us are removed.
There should be no reason to delay the formation of the transitional
government of national unity. Once Juba is demilitarised - the troops
that are supposed to take over the security of the city are deployed
from both sides - then I will be in Juba. Juba is my home.

http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2016/02/qa-future-peace-south-sudan-160202104527157.html

END1

2. BBC interview with Dr Riek Machar [audio]

"Peace will be realised and stability will be maintained"

Former rebel leader Riek Machar has been appointed as South Sudan's
Vice President by the President Salva Kiir. In this interview with
Newsday's Janet Ball he says he was surprised at his appointment but
believes it's a step in the right direction. He says within 3 weeks,
he should be able to take his position. South Sudan has been mired in
conflict since December 2013, when clashes broke out between troops
loyal to Kiir and soldiers backing Riek Machar, who previously held
the vice president position.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p03j8vs5

END2
______________________
John Ashworth

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