Juba - South African Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa announced that the conflict within the ranks of the Sudanese Peoples Liberation Movement (SPLM) has now come to an end. This followed consultations between Deputy President Ramaphosa, President Salva Kiir and leaders of the SPLM (Former Detainees) and SPLM (In opposition) Taban Deng and Deng Alor held on Thursday 07 January 2016 in Juba South Sudan. 

Deputy President Ramaphosa was in South Sudan representing President Jacob Zuma to the Extra-Ordinary National Convention of the SPLM held in Juba from Thursday-Friday 07-08 January 2016.

In his consultation with the leaders of the Opposition, who had taken a decision not that attend the Convention, Deputy President Ramaphosa persuaded them to attend the Extra-Ordinary Convention as part of confidence building measures aimed at the reunification of the SPLM. The two leaders did attend the Extra-Ordinary Convention, the decision that went well to foster unity and reunification of the SPLM.

Addressing the SPLM’s Extra-Ordinary National Convention, Deputy President Ramaphosa said that from discussions he held with the two leaders of the SPLM (Former Detainees) and SPLM (in opposition), “we can truly say that indeed the conflict that engulfed the SPLM has today come to an end and the guns of war have now been silenced. Taban Deng himself said there is no more going to war which means that there is a permanent ceasefire”.

Deputy President Ramaphosa attended and addressed the Extra-Ordinary National Convention alongside the representative of the Tanzania’s ruling party as co-guarantors of the Arusha Reunification Agreement.

The Extra-Ordinary National Convention was convened specifically to incorporate provisions of the Arusha Agreement, signed in January 2015, into the constitution of the SPLM. The Arusha Agreement was signed with a view to paving the way for the reunification of the SPLM.

During the visit to Juba, Deputy President also paid a courtesy call on South Sudanese President Salva Kiir. During his consultations Deputy President Ramaphosa was informed that substantial progress had been made in negotiations between the various factions of the SPLM and the government regarding the formation of the government of national unity. In this regard President Kiir is expected to announce the government of national unity by decree.   

Deputy President Ramaphosa also held bilateral consultations on the margins of the SPLM’s Extra-Ordinary National Convention with Botswana former President Festus Mogae who the Chairperson of the Joint Monitoring and Evaluation Commission, established under the Compromise Agreement.

Official Provincial Funeral of the late Indries Naidoo, a Veteran of the anti-apartheid struggle, Sunday 10 January 2016

Deputy President Ramaphosa is expected to return from Juba to South Africa later today ahead of his planned attendance of the official provincial funeral of the late Indries Naidoo, a veteran of the anti-apartheid struggle, scheduled for Sunday 10 January 2016 at

Enquiries: Ronnie Mamoepa on +27 82 990 4853

Issued by: The Presidency
Pretoria