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The South Sudanese opposition leader, Riek Machar, is not ready to return to Juba and wishes to postpone the formation of a union government until the resolution of the security issues, said Wednesday a leader of his party.
Machar was to return to South Sudan in May and join a power-sharing government as vice president of President Salva Kiir after signing a peace agreement in September last year.
The agreement is the latest in efforts to end nearly six years of conflict that erupted as a result of a disaster between the two men in 2013. However, observers warned that the implementation of the agreement was at a standstill.
"We are saying extend this six-month period," said Stephen Kang Chol, representing the MPLS-Machar rebel group in the Pre-Transition Committee (NPTC), the body charged with implementing the Peace agreement.
Machar "will not come to Juba without security arrangements," he said.
Machar fled Juba under a barrage of gunfire in 2016, following the collapse of a previous peace agreement, which pitted his troops against those of Kiir.
The last agreement has largely stopped the fighting in the country.
However, crucial steps such as the establishment of a unified army and the discussion of security control of the capital have not yet taken place.
"We have not even trained a few people and it's a prerequisite for forming the government," Chol said.
Independent Radio Eye Radio reported Wednesday that 3,000 opposition and government soldiers were being trained together, although Chol denied it.
The other key issue that remains to be addressed is the controversial issue of internal boundaries.
"You can not form a government without knowing the number of states," Chol said.
"Basically, what we say, is to extend the time, provide the resources … and we will have the government in place."
The government has asked foreign donors to fund a large part of its $ 285 million budget (252 million euros) in order to implement the agreement. But diplomats say they have yet to take major fiscal measures and improve transparency.
Kiir spokesman Ateny Wek Ateny told Eye Radio that other opposition figures were already in Juba and that this should indicate to Machar "that his security will be ensured during the formation of the government".
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