South Sudan's Presidential Press Secretary Ateny Wek Ateny said they haven’t agreed with the SPLM/A-IO rebel group on the number of its advance delegation to the capital Juba.

In an interview with Radio Tamazuj Thursday Ateny said the rebel group should to be realistic in sending its advance team to Juba instead of dispatching about 600 members. He noted that the recent list sent by the armed opposition consists of 608 members.  

He pointed out that they only need SPLM-IO members who will participate in meetings of the proposed institutions in the signed peace agreement so the warring parties could form a transitional government of national unity in South Sudan.

“The peace agreement talks of institutions, those who will come will be members of joint committees, they sent us over 600 to do what?” he asked.

For his part, SPLM-IO deputy head of information and public relations Manawa Peter Gatkuoth said they are still sticking to their position by sending about 600 members of the advance team to Juba.

He further said their team represents all institutions of the SPLM-IO movement, adding the number was divided into three regiments so the Juba government can host them.

“The number is not the matter, in the list there are politicians and parliamentarians who will go to discuss the constitution, and there are parliamentarians going to the state, there are civil administration leaders, youths and women representatives, so they are supposed to disseminate peace,” he said.

“But some people behaves as if government institutions are their own property, they determine things at their will, you send 30 or 40,” he challenged.   

Manawa stressed that the advance team was tasked to tour the ten states in order to disseminate peace messages especially in the rebel-held territories.

On Wednesday, Vice President James Wani Igga issued an administrative order forming a committee tasked with preparing to receive the advance team of the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement in Opposition (SPLM-IO) that was expected to arrive in Juba today.

File photo: presidential spokesperson Ateny Wek Ateny