South Sudan Rebel Chief Machar Sworn in As Vice President in Unity Gov't
19:18 26.04.2016
South Sudan's rebel leader Riek Machar was sworn in as the nation's first vice president, joining a unity government being formed to cease violence in the country, local media reported Tuesday.
MOSCOW (Sputnik) – Earlier in the day, Machar returned to the African republic's capital after nearly 28 months of absence from Juba.
"Now that Dr. Riek has come and has taken the oath of office as the First Vice President of the Republic of South Sudan we will immediately proceed to establish the Transitional Government of National Unity. This shall restore the confidence of our people and that of our international partners in our abilities as the leaders of this country to implement the agreement," President Salva Kiir stated after the swearing-in of Machar, as cited by Radio Tamazuj.
South Sudan has been engaged in an armed ethnic conflict since December 2013, when Kiir said that a military coup had been planned in the country, pointing the blame at Machar.
More than a million people have fled their homes in South Sudan, which descended into a civil war, a year-and-a-half after the nation gained independence from Sudan.
The United States, United Kingdom and Norway, a group often referred to as the "Troika," convinced the Sudanese president to reappoint Machar as vice president in a deal in which the latter agreed to participate in to form a government of national unity. The agreement was approved in March.
© Sputnik
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