ODM leader Raila Odinga has been hit with fresh demands by South Sudan’s opposition team following his appointment as lead negotiator in the war tone country.
Early last week, Raila took over the job following recommendation by President Uhuru Kenyatta after Ethiopia failed to broker a deal between President Salva Kiir and his challenger Riek Machar.
While both sides are enthusiastic about Raila’s involvement, the Machar team now wants Raila to first ensure the former Vice President is allowed in the country.
“Just like Kiir’s team, we have no problem with elder Raila. He is quite experienced in politics and he is best suited to deliver us from the civil war,” said Mabior Garang, an ex-minister.
He added: “But before we even proceed, he has to ensure Machar is allowed back in the country from South Africa. Negotiations cannot take place in his absence.”
On Thursday, Raila meet President Kiir in Juba for four ours but details of the meetings are yet to be made public.
Understandably, Machar’s team has been pushing for 40 per cent stake in the grand coalition government, a move which has been resisted by the government’s side.