IGAD postpones resumption of S. Sudan revitalization process

April 17, 2018 (JUBA) – South Sudan peace revitalization talks have been postponed sine die, announced the Joint Monitoring and Evaluation Commission (JMEC) in a short statement released on Tuesday.

Last March, the IGAD Council of Ministers agreed to resume Phase II of the High-Level Revitalization Forum (HLRF) on 26 April. It was also decided that the Special Envoy had to hold consultations meetings with the process’s parties and stakeholder to narrow the gaps on governance and security arrangements.

In a meeting held in Juba on Tuesday, IGAD Special Envoy to South Sudan, Ismail Wais informed the JMEC of the postponement of the peace revitalization forum.

“The new dates will be communicated by the Office of the Chairperson of the IGAD Council of Ministers in due course,” said the statement without further details.

For its part, the IGAD did not release a statement to announce the indefinite postponement.

Until Tuesday 17 April, nine days before the resumption of the forum, the IGAD special envoy met only with the civil society stakeholders to the HLRF. No other meeting was announced with the government or the opposition groups.

Further, several opposition parties formed the South Sudan Opposition Alliance (SSOA) requested be consulted as one entity and blamed the mediation for ignoring their position paper in its last draft of propositions.

In reaction, Juba government threatened to hold general elections if no deal reached. While, the leader of the main armed opposition group, Riek Machar, wants to be authorized to take part in the forum and to be the region after the end of his confinement.

Different between the parties remain huge on the issue of governance especially composition and structure of the transitional government; number and size of states and composition of the Parliament.

On the security arrangements, the participants to the forum diverge on the timeframe for reintegration/unification of forces and approach to the formation of one national army; security for Juba during the Transition; demilitarization of civilian centres; cantonment of forces and Security sector reform or establishment of new security services.

(ST)