South Sudanese rebels criticize president Kiir’s reservations
August 26, 2015 (ADDIS ABABA) – South Sudanese rebels said they welcomed president Salva Kiir’s signature to the IGAD Plus compromise peace deal, despite “unnecessary delay” but criticized his expressed “reservations” in the document as mere complaints without legal binding to the peace agreement the parties have signed.
Before signing the document witnessed by regional leaders and international representatives, president Kiir made a speech in which he expressed complaints over what he said were “serious reservations” in the deal, but went ahead to append his signature despite his concerns. He later on submitted to IGAD leaders a 12-page document carrying his complaints and appealed to the mediation to reconsider them.
IGAD leaders refused to consider Kiir’s pleas on the reservations but took the document probably for mere information purposes, noting receipt of the complaint.
Machar’s rebel faction however said president Kiir’s reservations were only a sign of lack of seriousness and commitment to the peace agreement, but have no legal binding on the document signed.
“We welcome President Salva Kiir’s signature to the peace agreement despite the unnecessary delay and change of venue. It is said it is better late than never,” said Machar’s press secretary, James Gatdet Dak, when contacted by Sudan Tribune on Wednesday.
He however said the rebel group was concerned that the change of venue from Addis Ababa to Juba for the signing ceremony, coupled with the reservations expressed by president Kiir, were indicating lack of seriousness and commitment to peace on the part of the government.
Dak said even the rebel group had many reservations to the document before signing it in Addis Ababa, but had to finally drop those reservations and wilfully signed the IGAD Plus compromise peace agreement in order to end the 20-month long civil war and the suffering of the people in South Sudan.
“Issues which the government brought up as reservations are not new. These are the same concerns they had been raising throughout the negotiations in Addis Ababa. We also had our concerns which we had to finally let go and signed the IGAD Plus compromise agreement for the sake of peace so as to end the suffering of our people,” he said.
“If the parties were allowed to unearth their concerns in the document, IGAD Plus would have opened a Pandora box for another vicious cycle of endless renegotiations,” he said.
Among South Sudan’s concerns in the document include redeployment of troops from the capital, Juba; handing over top administration of the oil-rich greater Upper Nile region to the rebel faction; curtailing president Kiir’s executive powers in making decisions; and maintaining separate armies with separate commands between him and Machar for at least 18 months of the transitional period.
Also, the rebel leader is put in charge of overseeing and coordinating the implementation of the peace agreement and initiating reforms during the transitional government.
South Sudan’s government is also concerned with the process in which national cabinet ministers in Juba will be selected as it will likely lose many key ministries to the opposition groups, as well as Machar’s 50 additional lawmakers to the national legislative assembly.
There are clauses in the agreement which also provide for accountability to individuals responsible for war crimes and crimes against humanity since the war began on 15 December 2013, with some political and military leaders likely to be implicated and dragged to court during the transitional period.
African Union’s (AU) Commission of Inquiry report on the atrocities committed may be released and individuals charged for the crime after the signing of the peace deal.
Analysts say the best option for president Kiir to help exonerate himself is to fully cooperate in implementation of the peace agreement he signed and to hand over to court his political and military officials that may be implicated in the report.
There are concerns that the peace deal may not be fully implemented due to serious internal disagreements within the government as army chief, Paul Malong Awan, some political leaders and Jieng Council of Elders (JCE) are opposed to the agreement. Also rebels have two senior generals who defected and said they would not be party to the deal.
(ST)