President Salva Kiir and Dr. Riek Machar - File Photo - COURTESY

President Salva Kiir has called on Dr. Riek Machar to return to Juba within 45 days for the reunification of the ruling party.

The SPLM Secretary of Information, Peter Lam Both, confirmed this to Eye Radio this morning.

This call by President Kiir seems to reverse his statement in 2017 when he said all South Sudanese are welcome to participate in the national dialogue process except Dr. Riek Machar, adding that he [Machar] could only appoint representatives to come to Juba -where he can guarantee their safety.

Over the weekend, the National Liberation Council endorsed the Arusha agreement without Dr Machar.

Dr Machar and Pagan Amum, a former detainee and his colleagues, except John Luk Jok and Madut Biar – didn’t show up at the council’s meeting, despite an invitation for them to take part.

“The president said it in front of everybody, in front of cameras and he repeated it yesterday calling on Dr Riek Machar to return to Juba to implement the Arusha Agreement,” said Lam Both.

Lam said Kiir invited Dr Machar to turn up for the next National Liberation meeting due early next month.

“We have given him 45 days to unify the whole institution.”

Last year, Dr. Riek Machar -in a public letter to President Museveni -said while he is not able to attend a consultation meeting in Entebbe, his priority was to end the conflict through a negotiated settlement rather than the party reunification.

But on Thursday last week, President Yoweri Museveni revealed that Machar’s delegation met him in Uganda -the previous day -to consult on the peace and the SPLM reunification.

“His wife talked to the President of Uganda that they needed 30 days, and so we added 15 more days to enable them prepare to come to Juba,” Lam Both reported.

Mr. Lam also said that Kiir has pledged to protect Dr Riek Machar if he returns to the country, or seek other option for his security through the Regional Protection Force.

During his address to the 4th National Liberation Council in Juba on Thursday, Salva Kiir said “anyone who returns during the reunification will automatically assume his/her previous position within the party.”

This means, Dr. Riek Machar will resume his position as party Deputy Chairman, while Pagan Amum will resume his position as the party ‘Secretary General.

Dr. Machar has not been officially relieved from his position within the SPLM, despite the 2013 violence.