Juba carefully handles dispute over Sudan’s political process
January 28, 2023 (KHARTOUM/JUBA) – Following a series of meetings recently held in Juba by delegations of the Sudanese Revolutionary Front (SRF) and the Forces for Freedom and Change (FFC), Minni Minnawi, Sudan Liberation Movement leader (SLM) posted a tweet on January 26, saying he received an invitation from the South Sudanese government to evaluate the Juba peace agreement before establishing an implementation timeline for the peace agreement.
Minnawi who is opposed to the political process in Sudan was in Juba on December 14, 2022, where he discussed with President Salva Kiir – the guarantor of the peace deal – the non-implementation of the peace agreement.
After the meeting with Minnawi, Kiir directed his adviser and chief mediator for the Juba process for peace in Sudan Tut Gatluak to hold a meeting to determine what has been implemented in Juba in mid-January 2023.
Removing false impressions
Officials in Juba said the South Sudanese presidency was confused by the calls to review the Juba peace agreement. Also, they got reports saying that some peace signatories stand against the deal and support the review process which ultimately aims to cancel it.
In response, the signatories of the Framework Agreement decided to go to Juba to dissipate the misunderstanding and misconception about the review of the Juba peace agreement which is one of five issues in the final phase of the ongoing political process.
On January 21, Hadi Idris, a member of the Sovereign Council and SRF leader met with President Kiir to explain that the coalition of the armed groups, signatory of the peace agreement, does not call to cancel the Juba deal but wants to ensure its full implementation besides their support for restoring the civilian transitional government to implement democratic reforms and preparing for fair and free elections.
“In particular, we extended an invitation for South Sudan to participate in the peace review conference within the framework of the political process. The invitation was decided by all signatories to the framework agreement,” Idris told Sudan Tribune after the meeting in Juba.
South Sudanese position
Four days after Kiir’s meeting with Idris, a delegation of the FFC leaders met with the South Sudanese leader to reiterate that they have no intention to revoke the deal but their process wants to consider the best conditions for its implementation.
Further, they pinpointed that detractors of the political process supported the coup, and governed Sudan with military leaders for more than a year. So, they are in no position to speak about the non-implementation of the peace agreement. In fact, they are against the new technocratic government that would replace the current government including peace signatories, they added.
On January 25, After Kiir meeting with the visiting FFC leaders, Gatluak told Sudan Tribune that President Salva Kiir after listening to the FFC delegation decided to task him as the chief mediator with a comprehensive evaluation of the agreement before he could embark on engagement with them on key areas.
“The president has directed the conduct of a comprehensive evaluation of the agreement. This will rejuvenate a spirit in the process and stimulate the process to ensure wider acceptance by the parties and to build trust and confidence in the peace process in Sudan,” said Gatluak.
Minister Dhieu Mathok Diing Wol, secretary-general for Sudan peace talks described the meeting of president Kiir with the Sudanese delegation as fruitful.
“The meeting between the president and the Sudanese parties was fruitful. It gave them the opportunity to listen to his Excellency President Kiir and for the delegation as well to raise and discuss issues of mutual concerns. So, it was a very good and fruitful meeting,” Wol told Sudan Tribune.
FFC had successful visit
Three members of the FFC delegation spoke with Sudan Tribune about the outcome of their visit to Juba. They said it was a good opportunity to reassure President Kiir and to explain their plans. All said they found that South Sudanese officials had misread the political process and particularly the review of the Juba peace agreement.
At the end of the meeting, they called on the South Sudanese government to suspend the peace evaluation meeting they plan to hold in Juba in February and to take part in the peace review conference that would begin on January 31 in Khartoum.
The coalition believes that “there is no point in convening another workshop in South Sudan to evaluate the agreement because this will mean establishing another process outside the framework of the ongoing political process,” said one of the three officials.
In their separate discussions with Sudan Tribune, the FFC delegation members disclosed the arrival of the South Sudanese mediator to Khartoum to attend the peace review conference.
For his part, the deputy Spokesman for the Justice and Equality Movement, Hassan Ibrahim Fadl, confirmed to Sudan Tribune that the signatories to the Juba agreement peace had received an invitation from the South Sudanese mediation for a workshop from February 10 to 18 in Juba.
Fadl added that the workshop is divided into two meetings. The first which begins on February 10, will gather the negotiators. While only the leaders of the signatory groups will participate in the second meeting on February 15-18.
(ST)