President Kiir and Dr. Machar hold talks in Khartoum | File photo

The first vice president has accused the SPLM in government of engaging in a series of ceasefire violations and creating a stalemate in the security sector reforms.

Dr. Riek Machar believes President Salva Kiir’s party is not discharging enough political will to implement parts of the revitalized peace deal.

The leader of the main opposition group, SPLM-IO, says the SSPDF has been instigating and provoking violence in some parts of the country.

“We hold the SSPDF responsible for violations…of permanent ceasefire and cessation of hostilities in number of places namely, Maiwut and Maban counties in Upper Nile state, Wau County in Western Bahr El Ghazal state, Tombura County in Western Equatoria state, lately in Kajo-keji of central Equatoria state,” he said during the 6^th SPLM/SPLA IO national conference in Juba on Tuesday.

Dr. Machar’s comments follow last week’s report by the UN Panel of Experts on South Sudan that the political momentum has eroded after President Salva Kiir locked the opposition out of the government’s decision-making process.

According to the experts, this has contributed to political and security disputes within the peace presidency, stalling implementation of the 2018 peace agreement.

In his remarks, Machar revealed that consultations have not been happening as expected.

“In line of violations of the agreement, appointment without consultations, non-dissolution of ITGoNU and national legislatures, we see these as a violation,” Dr. Machar stated.

“These violations are clear demonstration of lack of political will in commitment to the implementation of transitional security arrangement.”

In response, the government’s spokesperson says the president has the right to make appointments –where necessary.

“The president has the power; and even at the end of the day, the agreement does not say that the president should not appoint. So the president is appointing these people to continue to the run-up to the time when it is reconstituted by the parties,” Michael Makuei told Eye Radio on Wednesday.

The revitalized peace deal states that the new unity government is founded on the premise that there shall be collegial collaboration in decision-making and continuous consultations within the Presidency, to ensure effective governance during the transitional period.