South Sudan rebels say planned leadership meeting on course despite challenges

April 11, 2015 (ADDIS ABABA) – South Sudan’s rebel faction (SPLM-IO) led by former vice-president Riek Machar said a planned consultative leadership meeting was still on track despite reports that it had been cancelled due to logistical challenges.

Rebel sources in Addis Ababa told Sudan Tribune that the meeting which was announced to take place on Friday in the rebel-held town of Pagak close to the Ethiopian border failed to take place due to logistical problems.

The source added that though the meeting was rescheduled to begin this Wednesday, it was likely that the leadership would cancel it because of lack of money to transport hundreds of delegates to the venue from various countries and locations inside South Sudan.

However, Machar’s spokesman, James Gatdet Dak, said the plan to convene the leadership meeting was still on track despite his confirmation of the logistical challenges.

“Yes, there are logistical challenges but the plan to convene the meeting is on course,” Dak told Sudan Tribune on Saturday.

“You know, we are a resistant movement of volunteers. We don’t have resources. We neither have aircrafts and vehicles nor money to hire them so as to transport our delegates in time,” he added.

The rebel spokesperson said the delayed meeting was to make consultations and consolidate leadership position on an expected peace agreement in Addis Ababa with president Salva Kiir’s government.

He also explained that the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) which had been mediating the peace process was only helping in coordinating and facilitating the travel of the delegates by ensuring that they got visas, particularly from IGAD member states.

Hundreds of delegates including chairpersons and deputy chairpersons of national committees, representatives of the movement from abroad and senior army commanders are expected to participate in the leadership meeting.

It is not however clear if the logistical situation will allow for this expensive gathering as the new expanded IGAD-Plus mediation mechanism prepares to resume this month what seems to be the final round of the peace process on South Sudan.

There is speculation that the new IGAD-Plus group, which involves the African Union (AU), troika countries, European Union (EU), China and the United Nations, has been drafting a final peace agreement to be signed by the two rival leaders.

The UN and troika countries have also warned of targeted sanctions against individual leaders seen to be obstructing peace and perpetuating the 15-month-long civil war. The measures would include travel ban, assets freeze and arms embargo.

(ST)