JUBA, Sept. 19 (Xinhua) -- South Sudan's rebel leader, Riek Machar will not visit Juba as requested by the government as part of efforts to build trust and confidence, his spokesman said on Wednesday.
Puok Both Baluang, the deputy director of information and public relations of Sudan People's Liberation Movement/Army-In Opposition (SPLM/A-IO) told Xinhua that Machar will return to Juba after the end of the eight-month pre-transitional period stipulated in the peace agreement.
"Machar will not return to Juba until the end of the pre-transitional period of 8 months as set out by the peace agreement," Baluang said.
This came after President Salva Kiir's call on Tuesday to all opposition members to visit Juba for three days to ascertain his commitment to the implementation of the peace agreement he signed last week with Machar and other opposition groups in the Ethiopian capital.
Machar who fled Juba during the renewed violence in July 2016 will upon his return take up his former post of first vice president under the latest peace deal.
The final peace agreement stipulates that the pre-transitional period will commence within two weeks of signing the peace deal, followed by a transitional period of 36 months, during which the country should be prepared for elections that shall be open for all political parties.
Baluang disclosed that Machar is currently in the Sudanese capital of Khartoum where the government and SPLM-IO negotiated the final peace deal mediated by Sudanese President Omar Al-Bashir under the auspices of the regional mediator from the Inter-Governmental Authority on Development (IGAD).
Meanwhile, David Shearer, the head of UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) said suspicion is still widespread among the parties and a lot of work needs to be done to encourage trust and confidence among them.
South Sudan descended into civil war in late 2013, and the conflict has created one of the fastest growing refugee crises in the world.
The UN estimates that about 4 million South Sudanese have been displaced internally and externally, and the world's youngest nation has for the third year running been ranked as the deadliest for aid workers to operate.
