South Sudan’s President Salva Kiir on Friday appointed former rebel leader Riek Machar as the country’s first vice president. The appointment was made just a day after the two leaders agreed to form a government of national unity that seeks to end six years of war that killed more than 400,000 people.
“I President Salva Kiir Mayardit, president of South Sudan, do hereby issue a decree for the appointment of Dr. Riek Machar Teny as first vice president of South Sudan with immediate effect,” said a statement read on state television, reported Reuters.
Information Minister Michael Makuei told AFP that the presidential decree also dissolved all institutions at national and state levels. He confirmed that the swearing-in ceremony will take place on Saturday. Kiir had initially said Machar would be sworn-in on Friday after the unity deal was signed.
“The vice presidents will take oath tomorrow and thereafter we will continue to process the appointments of the cabinet and appointment of the governors of the 10 states and three chief administrators of the three administrative areas,” Makuei told AFP.
On Thursday, Kiir and Machar agreed to create a unity government before a February 22 deadline. The November 2019 deadline was pushed back as crucial issues of a 2018 peace agreement, including agreements on the number of states and unification of the army, remained unresolved.
Last week, Kiir gave a nod to reduce the number of South Sudan states to 10 from 32, a crucial opposition demand.
As far as other conditions for the formation of the unity government are concerned, President Kiir said that they would be finalized in the coming days. He also dissolved the country’s cabinet and appointed a new minister of presidential affairs and a national security advisor. The rest of the cabinet will likely be appointed on Saturday.
