S. Sudan opposition leader blocked from travelling to peace talks in Addis Ababa

August 5, 2015 (JUBA) – South Sudan’s main opposition leader in government, Lam Akol, has been blocked by government from travelling to the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa, to participate in the peace talks under the auspices of the East African regional bloc, IGAD.

Akol told reporters in a press conference held at Juba airport he was prevented by a senior police officer from boarding a plane destined for Addis Ababa on Wednesday.

“Unfortunately, a Major General of the police told us that he has directives from the presidency that the leaders of political parties are not allowed to travel without the permission from the presidency,” Akol said.

Akol, a member of the Shilluk ethnic group in the Upper Nile state, has been sidelined from the IGAD peace process for over a year now despite many invitations extended to him and his group by the mediation to participate in the talks.

Awen Riek, speaking on behalf of the presidency, said the government had no information that Akol’s party had been invited to the talks by the mediators.

It was not for the first time that the opposition leader was blocked from such trips. Last year, he was blocked from travelling to Addis Ababa and was once put under house arrest in the national capital, Juba.

It remains unclear what the IGAD-Plus mediation will do in order to rectify the situation and allow for broader participation in the peace talks among the conflicting parties in the war-ravaged nation.

(ST)