Jieng ‘council of elders’ warn against pressuring Juba regime
December 1, 2014 (JUBA) – The Jieng (Dinka) council of elders from South Sudan’s Greater Bahr el Ghazal region have expressed concern over alleged interference by the international community and regional powers to push for “regime change” in the country.
They described as “absurd” and “ill-conceived” attempts by regional and International mediators to encourage and support change in the country after people have revolted.
“The support for military coups or violent transfer of power is no longer a popular notion in modern world politics,” the elders said.
“It is contrary to the will of the voters who consciously evaluate and freely choose capable leaders through the transparent electoral system after which power is peacefully transferred,” they added.
According to the Dinka council of elders, it is wrong for the mediators to equate president Salva Kiir, the legitimately-elected leader of the country, with his former deputy-turned rebel leader, Riek Machar.
By so doing, they argued, it will set precedence for disgruntled individuals, ambitious and power hungry armed groups to wage rebellion in quest for power from the legitimately-elected leaders.
“On our part, it appears as a deliberate undermining of the mandate of the people of South Sudan, at the time when the end of the mandate of the legitimate Government of Gen. Salva Kiir Mayardit, is only less than one year,” the elders said in the statement.
“This is clearly an intended action to deprive the people of the Republic of South Sudan from giving their verdict in the forthcoming 2015 elections. The people of South Sudan are entitled to exercise their Constitutional right to elect from among their sons and daughters a capable person as president to lead the country,” it added.
They, however, urged the two rival leaders to pursue meaningful reconciliation so as to resolve the country’s nearly one year conflict.
KIIR PLEDGES PEACE
Meanwhile, the South Sudanese leader said his government remains fully committed to restoring peace to the country so as to avoid further loss of life.
“We are trying our best to end the conflict. We do not want this senseless war to continue to claim the lives of our people. Those who are dying – whether in defence of the constitution and the government or whether they are on the side of [former vice-president] Riek [Machar] and his group – are South Sudanese people and we do not want them to continue to die,” president Kiir told Dinka elders Sunday.
He was briefing elders, predominantly members of Bahr el Ghazal Dinka section, who had visited him to reassure their support, on recent resolutions from a leadership consultative meeting to discuss a peace proposal by the regional bloc (IGAD).
Kiir told the group that he would not go against the resolution of the consultative meeting, adding that the leadership wanted to hear their views and to act on the will of the majority.
“When we called the consultative meeting with our members and other stakeholders, it was because the peace talks were about the affairs of the country and so [we] wanted to hear from the people. That was why the consultation was cross cutting. It involved other political parties, the civil society, the faith-based groups, the opinion leaders, youth, women and all those who are concerned,” he said.
“We wanted the resolutions of the consultative conference to be forwarded to the IGAD as the basis of negotiation, which are actually in agreement with the 25 August proposal,” he added.
Kiir said he was willing to accept the outcome of the consultative meeting as the as the basis for future engagement on the peace process.
“I was ready to accept the outcome of the conference and act upon whatever people were going to say and agree as the solution to the conflict,” he said.
(ST)