Years After a Peace Deal, South Sudan Finally Has a Government. Can It Hold?

Years After a Peace Deal, South Sudan Finally Has a Government. Can It Hold?
South Sudanese President Salva Kiir, left, swears in opposition leader Riek Machar as his first deputy, Juba, South Sudan, Feb. 22, 2020 (AP photo by Charles Atiki Lomodong).

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South Sudan finally has a transitional government, though the country’s citizens and neighboring leaders are watching anxiously to see if this coalition will hold together longer than a previous attempt, which collapsed after only three months.

President Salva Kiir swore in opposition leader Riek Machar as his first deputy last weekend, just ahead of a twice-delayed deadline to form a unity government. Kiir also installed three additional vice presidents—two from the government and one from the opposition; a fifth, drawn from another opposition group, is expected to be named soon, along with a full Cabinet. The transitional body will lead the country until national elections in three years.

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