By Staff
Reporter, JUBA South Sudan
South
Sudan's parties have agreed the opposition SPLM-IO will control the crucial
defense ministry under the power-sharing deal, a senior opposition official
said on Thursday.
File photo: SPLM-IO leader Riek Machar |
Manawa
Peter Gatkuoth, deputy spokesman of the opposition SPLM-IO, told Radio Tamazuj
that they had resolved the dispute over cabinet posts.
The
parties had been stalled over allocation of powerful ministries such as
defense, finance, petroleum and interior.
Under
the 2018 peace deal, the coalition government will have 35 ministries split up
between the group of Salva Kiir, the SPLM-IO of Riek Machar, the South Sudan
Opposition Alliance (SSOA), the SPLM-FDs, and other political parties.
Kiir's
side will retain 20 ministries, while Machar's group will have nine ministries.
The SSOA will take three ministries, the SPLM-FDs will be given two ministries
and other political parties will get one ministry.
"The
Ministry of Defense has been settled in favour of the SPLM-IO. Also, the
SPLM-IO will nominate ministers for the ministries of petroleum, mining, water
and irrigation, energy and dams, gender, federal affairs, peace building, and
health,” he explained.
The
opposition official said the SPLM-IO will also nominate deputy ministers for
the ministries of finance, presidential affairs and interior.
Manawa
disclosed that the parties had reached a compromise over who should run the
states in the coalition government. He said the SPLM-IO will nominate governors
of Eastern Equatoria, Lakes and Upper Nile states.
He
pointed out that the parties have already embarked on a series of internal
meetings to nominate their ministers, deputy ministers and state governors.
“The
cabinet is expected to be announced soon. We can say that we are now ready for
the formation of the cabinet,” he said.
The
unity government was formed on February 22, in accordance with the peace deal
signed in September 2018 between President Salva Kiir and opposition leaders.
Opposition
leader Riek Machar was sworn-in as first vice president two weeks ago, formally
rejoining the transitional government in the latest bid to bring peace to South
Sudan. - Africa
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