Makuei upbeat on polls calendar
By Simon Deng
The next general elections will be held in time, government spokesperson Michael Makuei Lueth has said.
Makuei said parties to the Revitalized Peace Agreement have implemented considerable portion of the agreement paving way for the timely conduct of the polls.
“Much of the agreement has been implemented so there is no worry, we are moving well with the agreement and we are going for elections,” said Makuei.
He said the Joint Defense Board is now screening the forces, an exercise that would be followed with graduation of the forces.
“We have no specific time because they are moving from place to another but they will finish as soon as possible, they have covered most of the areas,” Makuei said.
Makuei revealed that meeting between the parties to the agreement will take place soon.
He maintained that recent disagreements within Other Political Parties (OPP) will not affect the implementation of the peace deal.
Makuei said the South Sudan opposition alliance (SSOA) and OPP are mired in disagreement over the appointment of a parliamentary committee, noting that the parties will not relent in their resolve to implement the peace agreement.
“we are continuing without them and it is up to them to decide to agree and present their list and they will be appointed when their time come,” he stressed.
Last week, the Kitgwang faction reported that at least 43 fighters and four Sudanese herders were killed during renewed clashes between the rival forces of SPLA-IO in Khor-Jali area near Magenis.
According to Vice President Riek Machar’s group, their forces were acting in self-defense in the ambush reportedly launched by the break-away SPLA-IO forces led by Simon Gatwech Dual.
