Machar will be sworn in upon arrival in Juba

Machar had been scheduled to return to the capital today, Monday, April 18, but a spokesman for his opposition group told journalists that his return had been postponed until Tuesday for “logistical reasons”.

Last week, President Kiir met with the chairman of the Joint Monitoring and Evaluation Commission, Festus Mogaeto, to outline the programme schedule for the Machar’s return.

Machar has been outside the capital Juba since the outbreak of violence in December 2013, and is set to return to the post of Vice President under the peace deal signed in August last year.

The transitional government is designed to end more than two years of violence, which was sparked by tensions between troops loyal to Kiir and those loyal to Machar. Thousands of people were killed during the fighting and millions fled their homes.

Government chief negotiator Nhial Deng Nhial, said President Kiir has welcomed a request, to have Machar sworn in on the day of his arrival.

Nhial said the president and the JMEC chairperson also discussed matters related to the structure of the Transitional Government of National Unity.

“The president has also agreed that as soon as he receives the list of the representatives of other political parties with the Transitional National Legislative Assembly he will immediately act,” Nhial said.

Meanwhile, the SPLM in Opposition has released a new programme for the reception of Machar upon his return to Juba that maintains the swearing-in ceremony on the same day of his arrival but said there would be no public address. He is expected to make a press statement on arrival at Juba Airport, but not take questions.

The swearing in ceremony will be held at ‘Juba 1 Palace’ and being attended by Festus Mogae of the Joint Monitoring and Evaluation Commission, Oumar Alpha Konare as African Union High Representative, members of the Diplomatic Corps and other dignitaries. He will then proceed to the residence set up for him in the Jebel area of Juba.

Several members of SPLM-IO were reportedly arrested last week for showing too much exuberance on the arrival of SPLM-IO Deputy Chairman Alfred Lado Gore.