S. Sudan VP says opposition should be excluded from interim government
June 14, 2014 (KAMPALA) – South Sudanese vice-president James Wani Igga said members of the SPLM-In-Opposition should not be allocated seats in the proposed interim government.
He described as “unwise” any decision by government to share power with rebels, further arguing that it could spur more rebellions among the maginalised in the country.
The vice-president reiterated his government’s commitment to the ongoing talks in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa mediated by regional leaders from the East African regional bloc (IGAD).
“As a government, we are committed for peaceful settlement to South Sudan conflicts. If the other side are faithful to the negotiation, why not us taking bold decision to use it, or buying the same way to reconcile our people?” he asked.
MIXED REACTIONS
Daniel Lual Kuon, a pastor from the Episepocal Church of Sudan, said it was unfair for government to rush into forming an interim administration without bringing to justice perpetrators of the violence.
“You know justice should prevail and people should be brought to justice. We must address the root causes and I think that one will help us a lot”, Kuon told Sudan Tribune.
Deng Gai Gatluak, a student at the Uganda-based Cavendish University, said people at the grass root needed to be sensitised on any national drive by leaders to promote peace and reconciliation.
“If I tell we are studying in Uganda as students but we also have people whose parents are in the forests, people whose parents rebelled against the government. If we want to have peace as South Sudanese, we must involved people from opposition side and from the government in order for us to sit down and see the root cause of those conflicts”, said Gatluak.
“So we will look on how to solve it, but not only the government side to come and tell us how the peace and reconciliation is to be conducted”, he added.
Gatluak Khot, a South Sudanese living in Kampala, said government’s insistence that the country witnessed a failed coup attempt undermines any peace and reconciliation efforts being undertaken.
“The reconciliation teams from the start are being biased because they cannot drop the ward of coup and they cannot put more blame on the other side and that means there is no reconciliation that will happen at all “, he told Sudan Tribune Saturday.
Igga, accompanied by the environment minister, Deng Deng Hoc, was on mission to advance government’s initiative for dialogue, peace and reconciliation among South Sudanese citizens.
(ST)