The government of South Sudan on Friday agreed to the deployment of regional protection forces in the country.
This followed an announcement by the Executive Secretary of IGAD Mahboub Maalim, after an East African heads of states summit in Addis Ababa Ethiopia. He however said that the terms of deployment and the forces mandate are yet to be discussed with Juba.
IGAD has bowed out! 500 forces to protect Machar if he returns and assume his duties. #SouthSudan
— Capt Mawien Mawien (@CaptainMawien) August 5, 2016
The summit known as Igad-Plus includes representatives of the United Nations, African Union, and the Joint Monitoring and Evaluation Commission that monitors the progress in implementation of the peace agreement in Africa’s youngest nation.
Goi Jooyul Yol, SPLM/IO representative to AU, who led representatives of Riek Machar to the meeting, said his team is pleased with the new arrangement although modalities of deployment are yet to be discussed, reports Kenyan newspaper The Star.
And newly-appointed First Vice President Taban Deng Gai, who led South Sudan’s government delegation to the summit emerged to say that he was ready to step down from his position and give it to Riek Machar once he returns to Juba.
Other Igad member state leaders who attended the meeting include, Presidents Yoweri Museveni of Uganda, Paul Kagame of Rwanda, Omar al-Bashir of Sudan, Hassan Sheikh Mohamud of Somalia and Ismaïl Omar Guelleh of Djibouti
