South Sudan’s main armed opposition group, the SPLM-IO, has denied a statement released by President Salva Kiir’s office declaring that all parties have reached an agreement on the allocation of states.
Earlier this evening, the President’s office issued a statement that President Salva Kiir and the main leader of the armed opposition Vice-President Machar had resolved the issue of state divisions at the State House.
The statement asserted that Kiir will take six states of Unity, Warrap, Eastern Equatoria, Central Equatoria, Northern Bahr el-Ghazal and Lakes. Meanwhile, Machar’s SPLM-IO would take Western Equatoria, Jonglei state and Western Bahr el-Ghazal. South Sudan Opposition Alliance (SSOA) were to take the state of Upper Nile.
Nyenagwek Kuol, a senior member of the SPLM-IO and a close aide to Machar, said the statement was issued without the consent of the group.
She declared that Machar was preparing a statement to reject what he has described as a unilateral decision by President Salva Kiir.
This appears confirmed by SPLM-IO spokesman and South Sudan’s deputy Minister of Interior Mabior Garang de’Mabior, who stated in a brief Facebook message that the SPLM-IO did not take part in the supposed agreement.
In a statement released tonight Riek Machar Teny-Dhurgon, commander of the SPLM-IO, asserted that there was no consensus in the President's allocation of states but instead a deadlock.
The negotiations continue.
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