Return of rebel commander raises hopes for South Sudan peace process

Juba: South Sudan's fraught peace process lurched forward Monday with the return of the rebel army's top soldier to the war-torn country's capital.

Chief of General Staff Simon Gatwech Dual's presence in Juba is a final prerequisite for the return of opposition leader and vice-president-designate Riek Machar.

Mr Machar's own return would mark a major step towards ending the country's 2½-year-long civil war, which has split the country largely along tribal lines. It has killed tens of thousands and displaced over 1 million people according to the United Nations.

Dressed in khaki fatigues, beret and sporting a pink handkerchief, General Dual raised his walking stick to greet his airport welcoming party and chanted "Viva SPLA, viva SPLM!", referring to the Sudan People's Liberation Army and Movement, which were also split by the conflict.

Dozens of heavily armed troops from both sides swarmed the tarmac.

General Dual's arrival comes after a week of travel delays and accusations of stalling from both sides, with the rebels attempting to bring in additional troops and weapons and the government preventing rebel planes from landing, according to international monitors.

Mr Machar was due to arrive in Juba last week but is still camped at rebel HQ on the South Sudan-Ethiopia border, in defiance of an international ultimatum for him to be in Juba by Saturday.

The US has reportedly pulled funding to transport Mr Machar from Ethiopia to Juba.

A peace agreement signed in August would make Mr Machar vice-president again to President Salva Kiir and requires both parties to form a transitional government.

Six months after Mr Kiir removed Mr Machar from the vice-president's post in the first days of the civil war in July 2013, Mr Machar fled Juba and has not returned since.

On Juba's streets on Monday, Fairfax Media spoke to people concerned about seeing peace and fixing country's crumbling economy.

"We need peace and reconciliation. We don't need another fighting," said 25-year-old Gual Deng.

"I think if Riek Machar comes, it [the South Sudan pound] will come down," he said, speaking of the wildly fluctuating local currency's value against the US dollar.

Suzy Orbhal, 23, hopes Mr Machar will come to Juba so "the government will come together", but she think's he's "fearing" his return.

General Dual and his 121 accompanying troops were welcomed to their new rebel-controlled camp on Juba's outskirts by singing and dancing Nuer women.

"This is your country," they sang, "You have a white heart. Welcome back."

General Dual is subject to United Nations Security Council sanctions covering travel bans and asset freezes for perpetrating violence and breaching ceasefire agreements.

South Sudan is the world's newest country, having gained independence from Sudan in 2011.

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