South Sudan’s vice-president designate Riek Machar is now expected to arrive in Juba this week after the government backed down on its earlier position that the rebel leader would not be allowed to return to the country with sophisticated weapons such as laser-guided and anti-tank missiles.

Adel Sandrai, a Sudanese People’s Liberation Movement in Opposition (SPLM-IO) Member of Parliament told The EastAfrican from Juba that Dr Machar was ready to travel to Juba but his arrival depended on whether the government clears the former rebels’ weapons.

“The First Vice-President designate is ready to return to Juba but the government must accept that our forces come with their guns,” said Mr Sandrai.

READ: Weaponry wrangle delays Machar's return to Juba

Festus Mogae, former president of Botswana, who is also the chairman of the Joint Monitoring and Evaluation Commission (JMEC), had given Dr Machar till April 23 to return to Juba or the commission would report to the United Nations Security Council that the peace implementation process had broken down.

Should Dr Machar fail to arrive at the capital and Dr Mogae reports to the UN Security Council that the two partners have blocked the implementation of the peace process, then Dr Machar and President Salva Kiir are likely to be slapped with sanctions, including travel bans and asset-freezes.

Since Dr Machar’s scheduled return to Juba was aborted on April 18, the two main partners to the peace process have been locked in a dispute over how many soldiers and the type of weapons Dr Machar can bring with him to Juba.

JMEC had on Thursday proposed that Dr Machar return with 195 soldiers along with 20 PK machine guns, 20 RPG-7 grenade launchers, shells and rounds of ammunition.

But Information Minister Michael Makuei had earlier in the week maintained that the government would only allow Dr Machar to come with seven PKMs and seven RPGs.

South Sudan ambassador to Kenya Jimmy Deng told The EastAfrican that the government had accepted the JMEC proposal but accused Dr Machar of continuously issuing new demands.

Following the government’s approval, SPLM-IO chief of staff Gen Simon Gatwech — who had been stranded in Gambela in southern Ethiopia for four days after the government refused clear his travel because of the weapons — was expected to be in Juba by Friday afternoon. Dr Machar’s deputy, Gen Alfred Lado Gore, landed in Juba on April 12 in preparation for the return of the former rebel leader on April 18.

READ: South Sudan rebel deputy arrival in Juba heralds Machar's return

Dr Machar has maintained that he will only travel to Juba a day after Gen Gatwech arrives to take charge of the 1,370 troops that are already in their camp in Jebel Kujur south of Juba. 

SPLM-IO are still entitled to bring an additional 1,540 soldiers to bring the total number of soldiers and police officers to 2,910 as per the security arrangements agreed on in Addis Ababa in October last year. President Kiir will retain 5,000 presidential guards and joint police personnel.

Dr Machar has routinely attributed his long-delayed return to Juba to the refusal of the government to withdraw extra troops from Juba, while the government has been citing lack of funds to set up camps and feed the soldiers.