South Sudan Politics: Efforts to form a unity government by next month continue

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South Sudan's President is urging his fiercest opponent to urgently return home. Under a peace deal, the two sides are supposed to soon form a new government, but opposition leader, Riek Machar, wants that delayed over security concerns. CGTN's Patrick Oyet has more.

South Sudan's seven-month-old peace deal required a new government representing all political groups to be formed in May. But former vice president turned opposition leader Riek Machar is calling for a six-month postponement in the formation of the new government, citing a lack of progress on security.

DENIS DUMO SECURITY ANALYST "For this peace agreement to move forward, of course, there are things, like the security arrangement, in my own view, is something that needs to be also addressed because when you diffuse tension on the ground, you unify the forces, then they will have the confidence."

Machar left Juba in 2016 amid clashes between his supporters and those of President Salva Kiir. The current government says it has no intention of delaying the formation of a unity government, aimed at ending six years of conflict. It's calling on Machar to return to Juba to help set up the power-sharing agreement.

ATENY WEK ATENY PRESIDENTIAL SPOKESPERSON "Already his deputy is here, Dr. Riek Machar's wife is also here, a number of other stakeholders that signed a peace agreement are here, so there is no reason as to why Riek should not be in Juba."

PATRICK OYET JUBA, SOUTH SUDAN "There are, however, some opposition groups that say the current government doesn't have the resources to reform the security sector, and the more there is delay in forming the new government, the more the South Sudanese people will lose momentum and trust in the implementation of the peace deal."

And some opposition groups disagree with Machar's demand for a delay.

PETER MAYEN MEMBER OF SOUTH SUDAN OPPOSITION ALLIANCE "It's important that you form a government of interested parties now that will take responsibility to implement the remaining activities of the Pre-Transitional period, extending the Pre-Transitional period is not healthy either to the country or to the peace."

More than two million South Sudanese people are living as refugees in the country's neighboring states as a result of the young nation's civil war. For them, the wait to return home continues amid the ongoing struggle to find a durable peace. PATRICK OYET, CGTN, JUBA, SOUTH SUDAN.