S.Sudan rebel leader to be appointed vice presidentHands together: South Sudan President Salva Kiir, left, and rebel leader Riek Machar in Juba on December 17 last yearJUBA - South Sudan President Salva Kiir will on Friday formally appoint rebel leader Riek Machar as vice president, ahead of a swearing-in ceremony on Saturday, the information minister said. However Information Minister Michael Makuei told AFP that the oath had been pushed back to Saturday. "Today (Friday) his excellency the president will issue a presidential decree for the appointment of the vice presidents and the dissolution of all institutions at national and state levels," he said. Machar is to be the first of five vice-presidents in a bloated cabinet to accommodate various warring parties. "This is a major step forward, if indeed they form the government as they say," Alan Boswell, a South Sudan expert with the International Crisis Group (ICG) told AFP.

Source: Bangkok Post February 21, 2020 15:56 UTC