South Sudan’s peace talks resume with little optimism
By Tesfa-Alem Tekle
Aug 6, 2015 (ADDIS ABABA) – Peace negotiations aimed to end over 19 month long conflict in South Sudan have resumed on Thursday in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa, but with little hope to sign a final peace deal by 17 August as parties give divergent views in response to IGAD-Plus peace proposal.
While president Salva Kiir’s government had indicated it rejected the proposal from the IGAD-Plus mediation, the rebels under the leadership of former vice president, Riek Machar, said they would accept the peace proposal if their amendments were incorporated.
“Yes, we accept the IGAD-Plus peace proposal, but with some amendments. We will be ready to sign the peace agreement by August 17 if such amendments will be incorporated into the text,” revealed Machar’s spokesman, James Gatdet Dak, when contacted by Sudan Tribune on phone, Thursday.
He said the amendments drawn from resolutions of this week’s three-day leadership consultative meeting in the opposition’s general headquarters in Pagak, South Sudan, were touching across all areas of governance, security arrangements, wealth and power sharing as well as compensation, reparation, justice and reconciliation.
If South Sudan’s warring leaders failed to bridge differences and reach an agreement by 17 August, the international community will impose sanctions including economic and arms embargo.
The conflict which erupted on December 2013 has killed tens of thousands and displaced over two million people.
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The last round of talks failed earlier in March when the two sides failed to agree on a number of outstanding issues particularly on a power sharing deal.
Regional mediators are urging the two sides to make a breakthrough in what is said would be the last round of negotiations.
“Making peace or war are choices we can make,” IGAD lead mediator Seyoum Mesfin said during the opening of the fresh talks on Thursday, adding “War has horrid consequences while peacemaking is equally, immensely difficult.”
“A perfect solution to a problem like that of the ongoing crisis in South Sudan is impossible to achieve,” he observed, but however stressing that compromise solutions for South Sudan were reachable.
IGAD has recently come up with a new power sharing formula including over 30 month-long interim government that would allow president Salva Kiir to remain in power but gives a larger state executive and parliamentary seats in the oil-rich great Upper Nile region to former vice president, Riek Machar-led opposition group.
The current peace talks are being held under a new IGAD-Plus peace initiative which incorporates the IGAD, AU, the United States and its troika partners, the United Kingdom and Norway; the European Union, the United Nations, China as well as five African nations.
Lead negotiators of the two sides have on Thursday traded accusations over commitment to peace, hinting no sign to bridge their differences.
Meanwhile South Sudanese residing in Addis Ababa said they will stage demonstrations to press the two conflicting sides reach a peace agreement. Organizer of the rally, John Jak Deang, told Sudan Tribune that they will stage two rallies, one in the middle of the talks and another on the 16 August, a day ahead of the deadline set for two sides to reach agreement.
John said the rally will be held at the venue where talks restarted and outside the African Union gate.
Similar rallies in support of a peace agreement were conducted on Thursday in the national capital, Juba, by members of the Gawaar-Nuer community residing in the civilian protection site of the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS).
The protesters urged the warring parties to accept the IGAD-Plus peace proposal and sign a final peace agreement by the 17 August deadline.
(ST)