September 15, 2015 (JUBA) – South Sudanese president, Salva Kiir, has on Tuesday announced that his government would fully implement the recently signed peace agreement, but said will continue to maintain his reservations in the course of implementing the peace deal he signed with his rival and former deputy, Riek Machar.
South Sudan’s President Salva Kiir (seated) signs a peace agreement in Juba, August 26, 2015. (Photo Reuters/Jok Solomu)Kiir further expressed hope that IGAD Plus mediation will someday understand his reservations, predicting that it will be difficult to implement some of the provisions of the peace agreement.
“It is our hope, however, that as the implementation of the Agreement gets underway, the IGAD mediators and partners and the friends of South Sudan will take more objective view to reservations that I articulated prior of my signing the Agreement on 26th August 2015,” said president Kiir in his first time address to the nation on Tuesday, 20 days after he signed the peace deal.
He described the peace deal as the most “divisive” peace accord in the history of the country and the African continent at large.
Kiir who inked the deal on 26 August, 9 days after his rival Machar signed the same document, however directed his government’s political and military institutions to implement the agreement, explaining that by appending his signature he was fully committed.
“With that signature I had fully committed myself and the government to the peaceful implementation of the Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in the Republic of South Sudan,” he said.
“All the institutions of the government in the country shall be bound by this Agreement and shall be expected to carry out the functions stipulated for them therein.”
He reminded that the peace agreement had already been endorsed by the country’s council of ministers and ratified by the national legislature and therefore the document has become a law to be implemented.
“I believe you are all aware that the National Council of Ministers has already endorsed and adopted the agreement and that the National Legislature has already ratified this agreement as well. And in my capacity as the commander-in-chief of the SPLA I have already issued a ceasefire order for SPLA troops to stop any military offensives in the conflict zones unless in self-defence,” he added.
The South Sudanese leader who signed the peace deal under heavy international pressure and threats of sanctions on him and his country, said he demanded unity of the people of South Sudan, adding “I assure you the full commitment of the government to respect the permanent ceasefire which I have declared and the full implementation of the agreement which I have signed.”
President Kiir last week admitted that his forces had violated the ceasefire and warned officers of punitive measures unless they stopped attacking the opposition forces led by Machar.
He called upon the citizens of the country to provide support for the implementation of the peace agreement to end the suffering.
The head of state, who was expected to shed light on the dire economic situation in the country, however said he “purposely left out” in his speech a portion of economic matters because, according to him, it would only “spark debate without solution.”
Kiir, in an attempt to show unity against potentially adverse effect of western threats with sanctions, urged his audience to stand united in the face of latest foreign policy challenge.
“The people of this country are patient with anything, unless their lives are put under threat, in which case we come out and stand united to confront the threat at the root,” he said.
“With our faith in God and the will of our people, we will surmount all difficulties,” he added.
The president said that his administration seeks to “strengthen unity” with other neighbouring countries, saying that he did not want to create enemies in relations with other countries.
He described claimed interest with which citizens allegedly followed his state of address in their own houses as a demonstration of unity that revealed togetherness to face threats to the country.
FAILS TO TACKLE ECONOMY
Meanwhile, the South Sudanese leader failed to outline how his government was prepared to tackle the deteriorating state of the country’s economic.
“I did not mention anything about economy, not because it escaped my mind, but I did not want to talk about it. I left it [economy] purposely because even if I bring it to the table it will be just a decision without solution,” said president Kiir.
The South Sudanese pounds weakened during the war against the United States dollars, the hard currency needed to import essential food items from abroad. The market responded positive when the peace was signed, but the exchange rate of dollar hiked in the last two weeks, further pushing up prices of commodities in markets.
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Full Text: Statement from President Salva Kiir to the nation on the peace agreement
