Rebecca Nyandeng Garang, Eminent Personality [as per the revitalized peace deal] speaks during a meeting with the UN Security Council in Juba on Sunday October 20, 2019 Credit/Obaj Okuj/Eye Radio

A prominent politician has called for the provision of a special protection unit to enable Dr. Riek Machar to participate in the transitional government of national unity.

Rebecca Nyandeng Garang, who is considered by the peace agreement as an Eminent Personality, says the opposition leader’s security fears should not hold back formation of the coalition government next month.

The revitalized peace agreement reinstates Dr. Machar as the first vice president, a position he briefly held before the country slid back to conflict in July 2016.

Over the weekend, Dr. Machar told the UN Security Council that the ceasefire and TGoNU would face serious challenges if the forces were not trained and unified.

He called for another extension of the pre-transitional period.

However, Nyandeng says the unity government must be formed in November to allow South Sudanese to rebuild their lives.

She urges the UN to consider providing a neutral security force for the SPLM-IO leader.

“He talks about what happened in 2016, I was a witness. But these things cannot hinder the peace process or the implementation of the agreement,” Nyandeng said at a meeting of the peace parties with members of the UN Security Council in Juba on Sunday.

“For Dr. Riek to say that we have to extend six months, people of South Sudan cannot be kept in suspension when they are hungry.

“I’m appealing to the UN to offer security to Dr. Riek when he is here.”

In 2016, the UN Security Council approved the 4,000-strong force, a month after the outbreak of deadly violence in Juba.

It is mandated to protect key installations such as the airport, facilitate the delivery of humanitarian assistance, and use all means to prevent attacks from any armed groups.

The Rwandan battalion of the RPF has been stationed in Juba since 2016. But its role was not reflected in the September 2018 revitalized peace agreement.