Museveni, Kiir, Machar Return to Ethiopia on Saturday

Presidents Yoweri Museveni of Uganda, Salva Kiir of South Sudan and opposition leader Dr. Riek Machar are expected to return to Addis Ababa on Saturday to conclude on the formation of transitional government of national unity.

The trio, joined by the Sudanese Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok and IGAD Executive Secretary, Dr. Workneh Gebeyehu, failed to reach a common position on the number of states during the two day negotiations in Addis Ababa.

The meeting deliberated on the challenges associated with the determination of the number of states and their boundaries, and the implementation of the security arrangements according to an earlier statement from IGAD Secretariat.

President Kiir reportedly requested to be given 3 days to return to South Sudan for consultations on the matter with his group based on his request, and to report back on the matter to the IGAD chair on the 15th February 2020.

The government under Kiir wants to maintain the 33 states created after the 2015 peace deal while the armed opposition SPLA-IO under Dr. Riek Machar wants the nation to return to 10 original states.

It was then agreed that another tripartite consultation be held on the 15th February 2020 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

Another pending issue; security arrangements and the deployment of the UNMISS troops in the major towns, civilian centers, and the lifeline routes as demanded by the SPLA-IO, was discussed but decision was deferred to the next forthcoming tripartite meeting.

The 100 days extension, which was the second postponement of the implementation of second peace deal signed in September 2018, is expiring in one week.

The extension was meant to resolve on the contentious matters but not none was concluded.