South Sudan's Machar returns to Juba, sworn in as VP

South Sudan’s rebel leader Riek Machar has been sworn in as first vice president shortly after returning to the capital to form a unity government.

Machar arrived at Juba International Airport on Tuesday and hours later took up the post under the terms of a peace deal with his rival President Salva Kiir to end a two-year conflict in the African nation.

Thousands of people have been killed and more than two million forced to flee their homes because of clashes between rival factions. Machar fled Juba at the start of the civil war in December 2013.

“I wish that the security situation would be stabilized in the shortest possible time," Machar said shortly after taking an oath of office.

"Now that we're just about to form the transitional government of nation and union because the stabilization of the security will really bring us peace among our population,” he said. 

"The war was vicious. We have lost a lot of people in it and we need to bring our people together so that they can unite,” he added.

President Kiir welcomed Machar back to the country, expressing confidence that “his return to Juba today marks the end of the war and the return of peace and stability to South Sudan.”

“This ... is to restore the confidence of our people and that of our national partners in our abilities as the leaders of this country to implement the agreement," he said.

"Now, we must move forward in order to address the challenges situation by the conflict," Kiir added.

Kiir witnessed his rival take the oath, saying he acknowledged that there are "unresolved issues related to the agreement but I promise we will equally resolve those matters." 

Ban welcomes Machar's return

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon welcomed Machar’s return to Juba, describing the development as a “new phase” in the implementation of the peace agreement.

In a statement, Ban called for the immediate formation of the transitional government of national unity.

He also called “on the Security Council to work closely with the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) and the AU Peace and Security Council to mobilize the required support for the peace process,” according to the statement.

The bloody civil war in South Sudan, the youngest country in Africa, began in December 2013 when Kiir accused his former deputy Machar of plotting a coup against him.

The two sides then became involved in a cycle of retaliatory killings that split the impoverished country along ethnic lines.

Despite the August 2015 peace deal, battles persist across the country. There are numerous militia forces that do not abide by peace agreements and are driven by local agendas.

In January, UN rights monitors offered details about a long list of horrific abuses in the destructive war.

A joint report by the UN peacekeeping mission, UNMISS, and the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) cited “gross violations” of human rights, including “gang-rape, sexual slavery and forced abortion,” by the warring sides.

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