South Sudan's opposition rejects president Kiir's peace compromise

South Sudan's main opposition group, the Sudan People's Liberation Movement in Opposition (SPLM-IO) on Sunday rejected a government peace offer to return the country back to the system of 10 states in a bid to restore hopes of ending a six-year conflict.

Riek Machar, leader of SPLM-IO, said the decision by President Salva Kiir to revert to 10 states and the creation of three administrative areas cannot be accepted by his group.

Though he appreciated President Kiir's peace compromise.

On Saturday Kiir resolved to cut the country's states from the current 32 to ten with three administrative areas with immediate effect as means to end political stand-off with the opposition over the contentious issue, raising hopes of forming a unity government by Feb. 22. The three administrative areas include the Abyei Administrative Area, the Ruweng Administrative Area, and the Greater Pibor Administrative Area.

The dispute over the number and boundaries of regional states between the government and opposition forces has delayed the forming a transitional government of national unity slated for Feb. 22.