A former vice-president since year 2005 when South Sudan became a semi-autonomous government following signing of a Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) with Sudanese President Omar el Bashir, Machar was sacked by President Salva Kiir two and a half years later after South Sudan became an independent nation. He and President Kiir fell out over the future of the ruling SPLM party and its leadership as well as over affairs of the government. President Kiir then accused Machar of allegedly planning a coup, which the latter said was a false claim, further accusing the former of allegedly stage-managing a coup in order to silence voices of opponents. The two rival national armies and police forces will however reunify during the transitional period after achieving security sector reforms laid out in the peace agreement. The president also offered an apology, to the South Sudanese people and to the international community for delays in implementing the peace agreement, which was signed in August.