Taban Deng calls for full implementation of South Sudan peace agreement
December 21, 2015 (JUBA) – The chief negotiator for the armed opposition faction of the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM-IO), Taban Deng Gai, has called on all parties to the South Sudan’s peace agreement signed in August between president Salva Kiir and former vice-president, Riek Machar, to implement the deal to the letter in order to restore peace and stability after 21 months of deadly conflict in the world’s youngest nation.
Deng made the emphasis in a speech he read out to journalists during a press conference at Juba airport upon his arrival on Monday evening in the South Sudanese capital. He and the SPLM-IO secretary general, Dhieu Mathok Wol, led 150 officials of the first group of the advance team of the SPLM-IO from their headquarters of Pagak in Maiwut county of the oil-rich Upper Nile state.
“Our arrival today [Monday] in Juba is the end of this war, and the public should expect the arrival of my chairman and commander in chief, Dr Riek Machar to Juba during January [2016],” Deng said at the press conference.
He however said it was important for president Kiir and his boss, Machar, to meet face-to-face before the return of the opposition’s top leader to the country, saying there were issues they needed to tackle including agreeing on the date for his return.
Deng, a former governor of the oil-rich Unity state before the crisis, has been leading the peace talks on the side of the opposition faction for the past two years of the conflict.
During his lengthy speech at the airport, which he read from a written text, he emphasized the need to fully implement the peace agreement in order to change the status quo in the country through the reform agenda provided for in the peace deal to end the suffering of the people and “usher in development.”
He mocked the fact that South Sudan has not yet made a significant step towards development even the basic of services including electricity in towns, recalling that when his team was flying in the evening from Gambella town in Ethiopia to Juba during the evening hours, every part of South Sudan’s territory they passed through was dark as they could not see towns connected with electricity.
“Our country is the darkest country in Africa. We could not see light when we were coming. The whole country is dark. If you see light on the ground it is a bush fire,” he said, referring to the current lack of development.
He also called for reunification of the SPLM which split in 2013 and sparked the war due to disagreements over reforms for the country.
Earlier, David Deng Athorbei, chairman of national committee set up by the government for the reception of the SPLM-IO advance team, welcomed the team, equally stressing the need to officially end the war with their arrival to Juba.
The committee’s spokesman, Akol Paul Kordit, also reiterated the government’s commitment to the full implementation of the peace agreement, adding that the conflict was among “family members” and should come to an end with the reunion of the members.
EVENING ARRIVAL
While the first plane carrying about 15 members of the advance team, particularly members of the media, protocol and security personnel arrived in the afternoon hours to Juba per the initial plan, the second plane which carried over 130 officials including the chief negotiator Deng delayed and had to arrive late at 7:30 in Juba.
As the delay was blamed on an IGAD contracted airline company which did not send the plane on time to Gambella to pick the delegates, others however said it was pre-planned allegedly by the government for the team not to arrive during the day time in fear that the opposition’s supporters may come out in big numbers to the streets and to the airport to receive them as heroes and heroines who drive the change through the peace agreement.
Earlier, women union in Juba announced to all its members to converge at the airport to receive the advance team, but the announcement was rebuked by the information minister of the government, Michael Makuei Lueth.
Tens of thousands of member of the internally displaced persons (IDPs) who have been seeking shelter inside UN protected civilian camps were also prevented from going to the airport, also in fear that they may cause trouble during the reception.
Only a handful of government officials led by Athorbei and the press were present at the airport to receive them. After the press conference, the team went straight to the mausoleum of late John Garang to pay their respect to the founder of the ruling SPLM.
The advance team includes senior officials who are members to various institutions set up by the peace agreement for its implementation, senior army generals including deputy chief of general staff for operations, Lt. Gen. James Koang Chuol Ranley, who signed the security arrangements and Maj. Gen. Martin Terensio Kenya, and other military officers as well as members of the national parliament in Juba and support staff for various institutions.
The parties are expected to begin weeks long meetings on Tuesday to tackle issues that will lead to the withdrawal of forces from Juba and deployment of joint police and army components, as well as kick off the process to amend the transitional constitution, select ministerial portfolios, designate ministers per the power sharing agreement.
The parties will also reconstitute the parliament to pass the new constitution before a transitional government can be formed by 22 January 2016 to run the country for 30 months prior to elections.
(ST)