S. Sudan’s Kiir rejects meeting Machar before denouncing violence
August 2, 2017 (JUBA)- South Sudan President Salva Kiir recently declared his rejection to meet his main political rival and former deputy in government and party before denouncing violence.
“People have been coming to me saying I should meet with Riek as a part of confidence building (process) for the national dialogue. I told them I have no personal problem with Riek and he himself can attest that by how I treated him at J1 in July 2016. If there was a personal problem with him, I would have left him”, said a presidential aide who quoted Kiir as telling Ugandan president Yoweri Museveni during a recent visit to Kampala for reunification and reconciliation of the SPLM factions.
In statements to Sudan Tribune on Wednesday, the presidential aide added that President Kiir told Museveni that reunification and reconciliation should proceed without Machar if he (Machar) insists on the renegotiation of the peace deal instead of implementing it.
“This was the agreement he wanted to be implemented. So why calls for renegotiation? He says the agreement has died. Is it because he is not the government? The agreement was not between individuals. It was between the parties and that is why it is still be implemented even when he decided to cause unhealthy working relations so that I am seen as having no interest in the implementation,” said the president.
“But what happened after he was replaced? The issues which we could not resolve for two months were resolved in less than a week because there was a spirit of cooperation which came with Taban Deng Gai and his group. If he had demonstrated this cooperation we have today with Taban, the issues which could not resolve would have been resolved and there would not have been war,” Kiir further explained.
The former rebel commander turned president of the young nation also reportedly told President Museveni that national dialogue process would continue because it was meant for people.
“I was listening to their discussions and the president was very clear. He said he would not meet Riek if he continues to advocate for War. If he refuses dialogue then why should the president who wants peace meet someone who is for war”, stressed the presidential aide who was part of the entourage.
Last July, President Kiir led a high-level delegation comprising senior members of the ruling Sudan People’s Liberation Movement to a meeting in neighbouring Uganda where he met and held talks Rebecca Nyandeng, widow of the founding leader of the SPLM, John Garang de Mabior.
Rebecca was joined by a group of former political detainees at a meeting hosted by President Museveni at the behest of President Kiir to reconcile and unite the factions.
The meeting later came out with a decision to form a working group and a communique calling up all SPLM cadres and the grassroots, countrywide and in the diaspora, to embrace this new spirit of reconciliation and unity for the interest of people and the country.
The statement called upon SPLM-IO of Riek Machar to join the process of reconciliation and unity of the SPLM. Also, it called upon other SPLM groups and cadres who are not part of the Arusha agreement to join this reconciliation and reunification process.
The working group, according to the statement, was tasked to develop a matrix for the implementation of the Arusha agreement with specific timeliness and report to President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni after one week beginning on Monday, July 31, 2017.
(ST)