A journalist who analyses South Sudan and Sudan politics foresees a difficult test for 2018 elections’ nomination for presidency, saying history suggests President Salva Kiir and SPLM/A-In Opposition leader Dr Riek Machar might work together after fighting.
James Copnall observes that since Dr Machar came back into SPLM after 1991 breakaway and worked as President Kiir’s deputy from 2005 until the July, 2013 amidst dislike and distrust it will be difficult for President Kiir or his inner circle to permit Dr Machar to win nomination to lead SPLM for 2018 elections.
He added that Dr Machar will not let anything stop his ambitions to become President of South Sudan one day, quoting a South Sudanese as saying “Nilotics are tough, they fight, but afterwards they can come together as friends”.
The Journalist cautioned that for South Sudan to become a more stable and prosperous nation, issues of bad governance, corruption and the militarization of the political sphere must be addressed.
He wrote that South Sudan redemption in the eyes of history would not be easy and that if President Kiir and Dr Machar are unable to implement the peace agreement they signed for a lasting peace, it is time for them to leave the political scene forever.