Dr Riek Machar, Juba, 2013

Opposition Leader Dr. Riek Machar has returned to Khartoum without an agreement with President Salva Kiir on pending issues of the peace deal.

Dr Machar spent two weeks in Juba, holding meetings with President Kiir and other stakeholders in an attempt to reach a deal on the contentious issues.

They include the number of states and boundaries and completion of training, unification and deployment of government and opposition forces.

He returned together with the Deputy Chairperson of the Sudan Sovereign Council, Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo Hemeti.

Dr. Machar is, however, expected to return to Juba again before the end of the extended pre-transitional period.

The peace parties have failed, twice, to form the unity government – first in May 2019 and then in November 2019.

They now have 25 days to the 22 February deadline for forming the Revitalized Transitional Government of National Unity.