S. Sudan warns region could designate pro-Machar rebels as “negative force”
October 26, 2014 (JUBA) – South Sudan said on Sunday that the International Conference on the Great Lakes Region (ICGLR) has warned it could designate armed opposition forces allied to former vice-president turned rebel leader Riek Machar as a negative force, should it continue to reject signing the peace proposal brokered by Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD).
South Sudan’s foreign affairs minister, Barnaba Marial Benjamin, told Sudan Tribune that he hopes regional assurances made by the chiefs of defence and security of the ICGLR and the Southern African Development Community (SADC) in Luanda, Angola, would make impact on a number of issues, which have led to the stalling of peace talks with the rebel faction.
Benjamin believes the regional warning represents a diplomatic win for the South Sudanese government and would add pressure on the rebel faction to commit to negotiations on outstanding issues.
“When this conflict started, many countries in the region and the larger outside world did not really know much information about what actually caused this conflict, but now most countries are showing significant understanding and they have started coming out with [a] clear understanding and embrace the government position,” said Benjamin, a close political ally of president Kiir.
However, observers and opposition activists say designation of South Sudanese rebel forces as a so-called “negative force” could undermine the peace process.
They say such a designation could potentially see the opposition faction grouped together with the M23 and FDLR rebels in Democratic Republic of Congo, which have also been classified as negative forces, and are viewed by the international community as hostile groups with no clear vision or credible political objective.
(ST)