August 24, 2015 (JUBA) - South Sudanese government admitted that rebel forces under the leadership of former vice president, Riek Machar, unexpectedly overran a strategic town in central Equatoria state on Monday morning, causing panic and anxiety among the local population.

South Sudanese soldiers patrol the streets of Unity state capital Bentiu on 12 January 2014 (Photo: Simon Maina/AFP)

State officials and residents told Sudan Tribune on Monday that armed men attacked Lainya town before they withdrew from the area.

The group, according to the Security Advisor in Central Equatoria state, Brigadier General Abraham Wani, overran the police post and seized several riffles.

“The attack took place this morning at around 3:00am. They managed to overrun the police post and took away with them some rifles,” Wani told reporters on Monday.

The state official explained that there were no reports of casualties resulting from the attack but believed the attackers were rebels.

“Of course the way they carried out their operation shows that they are rebels,” he claimed.

He further explained that the police forces in the area were overpowered, but said nobody was killed.

He however added that people in all the payams and counties of the state should be on high alert and report such cases to the government as the rebels were mobilizing in the area.

Lainya town, home to government’s cabinet minister, Martin Elia Lomoro, is about 90kms south of the national capital, Juba, and about 70kms to Yei near the Ugandan border.

The spokesperson of the government forces was not available for comments on the incident.

Armed opposition leader’s spokesman, James Gatdet Dak, also confirmed to Sudan Tribune that their forces captured Lainya town before they tactically withdrew.

On Sunday, the rebel group issued a statement saying their forces clashed with government troops after the government forces attacked their position around Lainya area.

They said they repulsed government forces, destroying six trucks and killing 20 people.

The opposition group accused the government of trying to derail the peace agreement the rebel leader, Riek Machar, inked in Addis Ababa by resorting to military activity.

President Kiir is left with one week to sign the peace deal as international community warns of imminent action against the government if it refuses to join the rebel leader by signing the document to end the 20-month long conflict in the country.

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August 24, 2015 (JUBA) – The Sudanese president Omer Hassan al-Bashir has urged his South Sudan counterpart, Salva Kiir to sign the internationally-backed regional mediated peace deal aimed at ending the 20-month old conflict in the world’s youngest nation.

South Sudan President Salva Kiir (R) and his Sudanese counterpart Omar al-Bashir look on during a photo opportunity at the state house in capital Juba January 6, 2014 (Reuters/James Akena)

A South Sudanese presidential aide told Sudan Tribune, that al-Bashir cited challenges his government continues to face in the implementation of the 2005 Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA), including the self-determination clause in the peace accord, the basis on which South Sudan seceded in 2011.

“We signed the CPA, but did we complete its implementation up to now,” the Sudanese leader reportedly told president Kiir in the Ethiopian capital, last week.

According to the presidential aide, Bashir said some provisions in the CPA may still be unimplemented, but that this did not mean they would remain the way they are.

“We are not saying they will not be implemented, but you can take the lesson from us,” the South Sudanese presidential aide further quoted Bashir to have explained.

Different sources told Sudan Tribune that Bashir was infuriated by the attitude of the South Sudanese president who refused to sign the agreement despite the insistence of the IGAD leaders.

"Salva (Kiir) does not want to help himself," he told a Sudanese journalist when he was heading to the airport.

Analysts have interpreted the remarks of the Sudanese leader to mean some contentious matters in the agreement cannot stop its signing, however, difficult they may appear.

The presidential aide said Bashir was indirectly referring to the border issue, issues of the two areas (South Blue Nile and Nuba Mountains) and Abyei, which remains contentious between parties to the CPA during the interim period and after secession.

South Sudanese rebel leader, Riek Machar signed the long-awaited final peace agreement to end the 20-month long civil war in the youngest world’s nation on Monday, but president Kiir declined to sign the same agreement, requesting for more time to consult with his political and military officials back in the capital, Juba.

The agreement signed on Monday, 17 August, which originated from the 24 July Compromise Peace Proposal by the East African regional bloc, the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) and its international mediation partners, saw some changes in the course of negotiations in Addis Ababa between the two rival leaders, president Kiir and Machar before the signing ceremony by the two leaders minus Kiir.

On power sharing deal, president Kiir’s government will no longer control 100% of seven of the ten states as the armed opposition faction of the Sudan Peoples’ Liberation Movement (SPLM-IO) under the leadership of Machar will now get 15% of seats in each of the seven states of Warrap, Lakes, Western Bahr el Ghazal, Northern Bahr el Ghazal, Central, Western and Eastern Equatoria states.

Likewise, Machar’s faction will no longer control 53% of the governments of the three states of Jonglei, Upper Nile and Unity states. In the three states, government will get 46%, SPLM-IO 40% and former detainees and political parties, 7% each. While SPLM-IO will nominate governors for the two oil-rich states of Unity and Upper Nile, government will nominate governorship position for Jonglei state.

At the national level, the power sharing ratio remained as the original proposal of 53% for government, 33% for SPLM-IO and 14% split equally between former detainees and political parties.

The current 325 membership of the national parliament in Juba will be maintained with rebelled members reinstated to their previous parliamentary memberships before 15 December 2013. SPLM-IO will appoint 50 additional members to the national parliament while the former detainees will appoint one additional member and political parties will appoint 17 additional parliamentarians.

On security arrangements, the partially signed peace deal will declare the national capital, Juba, a demilitarized zone, with a radius of 25kms. Foreign troops, particularly from the IGAD countries and the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) will take charge of the capital for 30 months of the period of the transition until elections are conducted.

The two rival armies will also maintain separate commands for a period of transition with president Kiir being the commander-in-chief of the South Sudan army (SPLA) and rebel leader Machar also as the commander-in-chief of his forces until unification process is completed per the agreement.

IGAD-Plus officials said the peace deal signed by the two leaders was final and that president Kiir would only be expected to sign it without further renegotiations to the deal.