South Sudan : Salva Kiir, Riek Machar Reached Key Deal

South Sudan's President Salva Kiir and his former rival now vice President Riek Machar have reached a deal on the selection of Governors for the country's 10 states, an issue seen as the biggest threat to peace since a transitional unity government was formed in February 2020. The President and his vice president, had been at odds over the allocation of states, especially those producing oil, the country's main earner. International pressure had been growing, with the United States, the United Kingdom and Norway in a joint statement this month saying "any further delay creates uncertainty that undermines the political transition process". On Wednesday, June 17, 2020 a statement by the Minister of Presidential Affairs, Nhial Deng Nhial said Kiir's camp will nominate governors for six states, including the oil-rich Unity State and Central Equatoria, which includes the capital Juba, while Machar's camp will propose governors for three states, including the largest oil-producing area, the Upper Nile state, while a third signatory to the peace deal, the South Sudan Opposition Alliance, will nominate a governor for Jonglei state. The composition of the executive and the legislature in the states "shall be discussed and agreed at a later date", the statement said.
"With this development, a fresh impetus has been given for the process for the implementation of the agreement," said Nhial. "We are very hopeful that with this development, the road is now paved to further positive developments that we hope will be carried out expeditiously." The number of states is content...