President Kiir will not lead government delegation to UN summit: official
September 14, 2015 (NEW YORK) – South Sudan’s president Salva Kiir will not lead government’s delegation to the summit of heads of state and government at the United Nations General Assembly in New York, raising speculations that he could be fearing to leave Juba because of anti-peace elements in his government.
Top leaders of the two warring parties have been invited by the UN secretary general, Ban Ki Moon, to a summit on South Sudan by world leaders aimed to galvanize international support to the full implementation of the peace agreement signed in August by President Kiir and former vice president, Riek Machar, to end the 20-month long civil war in their country.
South Sudan’s armed opposition faction under the leadership of the designated first vice president, Riek Machar, on Sunday announced their top leader received an official invitation from the UN secretary general and that Machar will lead a high-level delegation of the opposition to the summit in New York scheduled for 29 September.
But the government said president Kiir will not travel to New York and instead delegated his deputy, Igga, to attend the first world summit on South Sudan after the signing of the peace deal.
It is not yet clear what prevented the South Sudanese president from attending such an important high profile gathering of the world’s heads of state and government.
Speculations point to his alleged fear of absence from the national capital, Juba, as anti-peace senior political and military officials may take the opportunity to derail the peace deal or cause havoc in the government, while others say he might have felt embarrassed and disrespected over his previous reluctance to sign the peace agreement, which he only did 9 days after his rival Machar did sign it.
President Kiir also failed to travel to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, to sign the agreement and rather opted that the document be brought to Juba by IGAD mediation for the same alleged fear that elements in the army opposed to the agreement could topple him in his absence.
However, foreign minister Marial appealed to the world body to recognize efforts of president Kiir in bringing peace to the war-ravaged nation even if he will not be there in person in New York to express himself.
“The international community, especially the United Nations, should really recognize the effort that the President of the republic of South Sudan Salva Kiir is doing with regards to bringing peace to his country,” he told VOA on Monday.
“I think the United Nations as such forums will understand the positions of South Sudan that they do care for their people, that they are a part of the family of nations…and that they are willing to listen to their people and to their friends…In such forums, always it is important so that they will have the patience to listen to our story,” he added.
Marial lamented that he hoped the UN summit by the heads of state and government will only discuss “positive” things and not about “punishment and negativity.”
President Kiir under heavy international pressure of threats of sanctions and isolation finally on 26 August signed the peace agreement reluctantly with reservations. His rival, Machar, was praised as peace maker for inking the deal at the peace talks’ venue in Addis Ababa, exactly on the proposed 17 August deadline, 9 days before his rival.
South Sudanese civil society organizations and eminent personalities together with IGAD regional leaders and international partners also signed the agreement on 17 August together with Machar.
(ST)