S. Sudan rebels to hold consultative conference on peace process
December 4, 2014 (ADDIS ABABA) – South Sudanese rebel faction of the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM-IO) under the leadership of former vice-president Riek Machar will on Friday begin its long-awaited consultative conference in the South Sudanese border town of Pagak close to Ethiopia, rebel sources have confirmed.
IGAD had given 15 extendable days to the top leaders of the two warring parties in order to consult with their respective constituencies on the contentious issues in the negotiations.
While the government conducted its conference on 24 November in Juba, the rebel group delayed to do the same in its remote controlled area due to logistical challenges, particularly transporting hundreds of their delegates to the venue from various locations in South Sudan.
A rebel leader’s spokesman has however confirmed to Sudan Tribune that Machar had finally arrived in Pagak on Thursday after spending Wednesday night in the Ethiopian regional capital of Gambella, which is about 800km west of Addis Ababa.
“Yes, chairman and commander-in-chief of [the] SPLM/SPLA, Comrade Dr Riek Machar Teny, has arrived in Pagak on Thursday to open the conference. He and his comrades have received a rapturous welcome in the town,” Machar’s spokesperson, James Gatdet Dak, told Sudan Tribune in an exclusive interview on Thursday.
He said the rebel leader who was also accompanied by many senior officials of the movement including his deputy chairman, Gen Alfred Ladu Gore, as well as foreign observers, was received in Pagak by tens of thousands of his supporters.
Dak said Machar immediately addressed a public rally in the town in which he announced the convening of the conference on Friday.
The conference, he said, will dwell on a wide-range of issues pertaining to the peace process.
“This consultative conference in Pagak will deliberate on fundamental issues pertaining to the IGAD mediated peace process. It will come out with resolutions that will be guiding our negotiators in the next phase in the peace process,” Dak explained.
He hinted among the issues to be discussed include the proposed transitional leadership structure and power-sharing arrangements between the warring parties.
Also the rebel faction’s proposed system of governance, which is federalism, as well as security arrangements, which will decide on the fate of their fighters during a transitional period and beyond, will be discussed.
Dak also explained the conference will deliberate on the needed reforms in various sectors of governance in the country.
“The conference will also deliberate on the needed security, judicial, public service, governance and economic reforms in the country. Issues of justice and accountability for victims and perpetrators will also be looked into,” he added.
He further added that the Arusha intra-SPLM dialogue initiative will also be on the agenda.
The recent resolutions passed in Juba by president Kiir’s government on the peace process will also be studied, he said.
The opposition leader’s spokesperson further added that the conference will also handle internal matters within the rebel movement including its foreign policy and peace advocacy.
Top military commanders, traditional leaders, representatives from the diaspora, civil society organisations and faith-based groups from across South Sudan will take part in the week-long meeting.
(ST)