Pretoria- South Sudanese opposition leader Riek Machar is in South Africa to receive medical treatment.
“Dr Riek Machar arrived on Wednesday, 12 October 2016 and his period of stay in the country is not known,” the Department of International Relations and Cooperation said on Thursday.
His visit to South Africa came nearly two months after he was flown from the Democratic Republic of Congo to Khartoum for treatment in August.
Machar fled South Sudan’s capital Juba, following fighting in July which saw him sustaining a leg injury.
Political rivalry between President Salva Kiir, an ethnic Dinka, and Machar, a Nuer, has over the years sparked a civil war that has often followed ethnic lines.
According to the department, consultations were held with the government of South Sudan regarding the visit by Machar to South Africa.
South African Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa has been involved in talks to secure peace in South Sudan.
As such the South African government has reiterated its commitment to continue to working with the people of South Sudan to achieve peace, stability and development.
South Africa does this through her participation in the IGAD Plus mechanism as well as the inter-party political dialogue which is facilitated by both Deputy President Ramaphosa and the Cham Cha Mapinduzi of Tanzania.-SAnews.gov.za
