South Sudan finally accepts participation of Troika in talks
May 1, 2015 (JUBA) – The South Sudanese government has accepted the involvement of the Trioka countries, as proposed by the regional bloc (IGAD), in direct negotiations with the armed opposition faction led by the country’s former vice-president, Riek Machar.
“As government, we welcome participation of Troika countries, the Africa Union, the United Nations and other members of the international community. We appreciate their role because we want this conflict to be resolved through peaceful dialogue”, said Marial.
Last month, the regional mediators proposed an IGAD-Plus arrangement, comprising of the AU, UN, the Troika nations (Britain, United States and Norway), China, Rwanda, Chad and Algeria as part of the next round of talks on the nearly 17-months conflict.
South Sudan’s deputy foreign minister, Peter Bashir Gbandi also echoed his country’s support for regional and the international players in the ongoing peace process.
“We are now a nation as a result of the support and assistance got from the international community,” he told reporters on Thursday.
“We did not request the exclusion of the Troika from the next round of talks with the rebels”, added Gbandi.
The two officials’ remarks are a complete shift from South Sudan’s earlier position, which seemed against the Troika countries’ participation in the peace talks, mediated by IGAD.
Some South Sudanese leaders wanted the Troika nations as observers, amid claims they were behind calls for targeted sanctions against those obstructing the peace process.
It is not clear what prompted South Sudan to soften its stance as critics questioned the wisdom behind rejecting the Troika nations, which financially support the peace process.
Some observers, however, viewed the Troika’s rejection as not just as lack of direction and coherent policy to control what government officials should say, but equally reflecting division over conflict resolution as some government officials fear losing their positions in the Transitional Government of National Unity (TGNU) should negotiations result into a peace agreement between the government and the country’s armed opposition groups.
(ST).