SPLM-IO Chairman, FVP Dr. Riek Machar, is calling for full implementation in South Sudan before discussing elections.

JUBA – South Sudan’s First Vice President, Riek Machar, has called on the signatories to the 2018 peace agreement to diligently implement the pending prerequisites necessary to prepare the country for peaceful, fair, democratic, and credible elections. In a statement, Machar’s office emphasized the importance of adhering to the key provisions of the 2018 peace deal. “The First Vice President of South Sudan, H.E Dr. Riek Machar Teny, has called on all parties signatory to the Revitalized Agreement to diligently implement the prerequisites outlined in the 2018 agreement,” the statement read. Machar, who is also the head of the main armed opposition Sudan People’s Liberation Movement in Opposition (SPLM-IO), a main signatory to the revitalized peace agreement, highlighted that these measures are crucial for ensuring the nation is adequately prepared to conduct peaceful and credible elections. According to the statement, Machar made these remarks during a meeting with the Sudanese Ambassador to South Sudan, Isam Mohammed Hassan, in his office yesterday. Machar, according to the statement, reiterated the importance of key prerequisites, including the security arrangements and the conduct of a population census. “The necessity of key prerequisites, including the deployment of unified forces, the establishment of a permanent constitution-making process, and conducting a population census, among other commitments per the agreement,” he is quoted as saying. Machar and the Sudanese ambassador also discussed border issues in a bid to foster peace and stability between the two countries and within the broader East African region.