Rebel faction says it won’t reunify while party is under Kiir leadership
By Tesfa-Alem Tekle
October 19, 2014 (ADDIS ABABA) – South Sudan’s rebel faction, the SPLM in Opposition, led by former vice-president Riek Machar, said on Sunday it would not reunify with the ruling SPLM party unless president Salva Kiir steps down.
However, rebel officials in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa, ruled out possible reunification unless Kiir agrees to hand over the leadership of the party to Machar.
The officials said they remained pessimistic about the Tanzanian talks, saying they doubted the process would deliver any positive outcomes even if discussions centred on the same agenda.
They went on to say that the rebel delegation had agreed to take part in intra-party dialogue only to tell their side of story.
Their comments appear to contradict those of CCM secretary-general Abdulrahman Kinana, who said that the initial phase of dialogue was held in a frank, honest and cordial manner and that progress has been made on the establishment of a framework for the intra-SPLM dialogue, including shared principles, objectives and an agenda for ongoing talks.
The dialogue is being facilitated by Tanzania’s ruling party, Chama Cha Mapinduzi, (CCM), which means revolutionary party in Swahili, the official language of Tanzania.
Following the conclusion of the initial phase of dialogue, Tanzanian president Jakaya Mrisho Kikwete invited both Kiir and Machar to the official launching of the process, due to take place on Monday in Arusha.
According to a source at the talks, both rival parties had recognised the need for reconciliation and the reunification of the SPLM as the vehicle that will implement a comprehensive program of political reforms.
In an encouraging sign, he said participants at the talks had shown a willingness to be identified as one entity, rather then separate groups.
The ruling party in South Sudan split in mid-December last year following an internal political dispute, plunging the young nation into a deadly cycle of conflict that has increasingly divided communities along tribal lines.
The outcome of the latest talks remains unclear, with similar attempts by other ruling parties in South Africa and Ethiopia failing to bridge the gap between the warring SPLM factions.
Ongoing peace talks, which are being facilitated by the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), have also failed to yield a lasting political settlement to the crisis.
(ST)
– Tanzania invites South Sudan’s rival leaders to dialogue launch
– S. Sudanese rebel delegation in Tanzania for talks with ruling party