South Sudan rebel leader refuses to sign latest peace deal

South Sudanese rebel leader Riek Machar refused to sign the latest draft of a peace deal with the Juba government that would end a years-long conflict, Sudan’s foreign minister said on Tuesday.

“The main opposition party, led by Machar, as well as another group, refused to sign, demanding guarantees over their reservations” about the deal, Al-Dirdiri Mohamed told reporters in Khartoum.

Sudan has helped broker talks between the rebels and South Sudanese President Salva Kiir which appeared to achieve a breakthrough in recent months, with the sides signing up to a ceasefire on Aug. 5.

Previous peace agreements have held for only a matter of months before fighting resumed, which Kiir has blamed on foreign influence.

After years of fighting and failed peace initiatives in South Sudan, Kiir and Machar signed a power-sharing deal which would see Machar reinstated as a vice-president.

Most notably, the deal would see rebel leader Machar reclaim the office of vice-president, which he lost after Kiir accused him of plotting a coup in 2013.

However, Machar would be only the most senior of five vice-presidents under Kiir.

In order to accommodate the demands of various factions, the new government will also be made up of 550 lawmakers and 35 ministers.

Foreign observers remain skeptical of the project, citing well-known animosity between Kiir and Machar, and a string of previous peace deals that failed soon after being signed.