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South Sudan's Transitional Government of National Unity: A Solution to the Country's Instability or Mere Elite Pact of Self-Preservation?

Countries
South Sudan
Sources
The Sudd Institute
Publication date
Origin
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By Jok Madut Jok

Publication Summary

After many delays, Riek Machar, leader of the armed opposition, Sudan Peoples’ Liberation Army in Opposition (SPLA-IO), finally returned to Juba on April 26, 2016, bringing with him cautious happiness among the populace who had been desperately anticipating the return of peace since December 2013. As he comes back to take up his post as First Vice President of the Republic and to kick off the implementation of the Agreement on the Resolution of Conflict in South Sudan (ARCISS), many citizens of the embattled East African nation expressed both hopes for the return of peace and skepticism about the ability of VP Riek Machar and President Salva Kiir Mayardit to forge a viable coalition and to genuinely work for the welfare of the whole country. This weekly review attempts to survey Machar’s return, with emphasis on hope and skepticism.