South Sudan path to peace still litteredwith obstacles

JUBA: South Sudan´s main rivals are once again uncomfortably sharing power, but analysts warn it will be a long and perilous path to peace for the war-ravaged nation.

Rebel leader Riek Machar on Saturday was sworn in as first vice president, embracing his bitter rival President Salva Kiir who vowed the weary nation´s suffering was finally over.The appointment was part of broader peace efforts that have struggled to fully end a six-year war between the two men that has left almost 400,000 dead.

“This is a major step but it´s just one point along what will be a very long journey to bringing South Sudan out of conflict,” Alan Boswell, a South Sudan expert with the International Crisis Group (ICG), told AFP.

“There is still a lot of scepticism among the South Sudanese that these two leaders will work together and not against each other.”

Machar´s swearing in came after much last-minute pressure, wrangling and compromise from both sides to meet the deadline to form the unity government under a September 2018 peace deal — which had already been postponed twice.

Both men received praise from regional and international partners for their willingness to make key compromises.

Kiir, for accepting to return to South Sudan´s 10 states after he unilaterally expanded the number to 32 — even though his plan to add three special administrative areas encompassing key oil fields threatened to derail talks.

And Machar, for accepting the protection of Kiir´s forces as a planned unified VIP protection force was not yet ready.However both sides still have their own armies — as plans to train a 83,000-strong unified military have yet to come to fruition and some reforms under the peace deal have yet to be carried out.

“The security arrangements are a total mess. They have yet to graduate any forces into a joint unit. Both sides are keeping their main forces in reserve and there has been widespread recruitment,” Boswell said.

He said that with so many issues on the table, and potential for future disagreement, if not handled properly, the situation could “easily slip out of control.” Luuk van der Vondervoort, a South Sudan expert with the European Institute of Peace, said the key question was whether there would be a real unity government with acceptable power sharing.