South Sudan’s Kiir to prioritise peace over personal ambitions
May 29, 2017 (JUBA) – South Sudan President Salva Kiir has vowed to prioritise peace in the country and that his administration would silence guns and focus on reconciliation, forgiveness and harmony.
“Peace has been the top agenda on the table the president from day one. He talks peace every day and I am glad to reiterate that the president continues to explore other ways and emphasise on the importance of pursuing the peace process with all groups fighting the government,” Akot told Sudan Tribune on Monday.
“It is in this context [that] he commended the efforts of President Yoweri Museveni of Uganda and other leaders in the region for their efforts to help find amicable ways to end the war as the first priority”, he added.
According to the South Sudan ruling party official, development can only happen if there is peace and order and security in an area.
Akot said the recent meeting in Uganda, which attempted to bring the different factions of the ruling party together had succeeded in recommitting the factions to pursuing peaceful efforts and stop the war.
“All of us have agreed in our meeting in Kampala to stop the war so that peace returns to the country. We also agreed that those who are still pursuing war as the means of presenting their issues needs to be engaged to denounce violence and join the dialogue process”, he stressed.
It, however, remains unclear what approach South Sudan government intends to use to consolidate efforts to end its conflict.
Meanwhile, the spokesman for the presidency, Ateny Wek Ateny said the South Sudan leader was also briefed by both members of the country’s ruling party (SPLM) in government and the armed opposition (SPLM-IO) faction allied to First Vice President, Taban Deng Gai.
The briefing, Ateny told reporters Monday, was about the reunification meeting held in Uganda. The delegation was led by the Acting SPLM Secretary General, Jema Nunu Kumba and Dhieu Mathok Wol, the secretary general of the SPLM-IO faction loyal to Gai.
“This was an important briefing because it was about in Entebbe. That meeting as you know was on the SPLM reunification. The meeting was called by the President of Uganda Yoweri Kaguta Museveni,” said Ateny, adding, “The meeting brought together all the different factions of the SPLM and they all agreed to recommit themselves to reunifying the SPLM and stop the war”.
During the meeting held in Entebbe, Uganda, South Sudan’s Former Political Detainees (FDs), a faction of the ruling SPLM party, declined to sign a new agreement for the SPLM reunification negotiated in a meeting brokered by Museveni.
A document Sudan Tribune obtained instead called for the formation of a committee from the SPLM-In-Government of President Kiir, SPLM-in-Opposition led by the First Vice President and the FDs led by the former SPLM secretary general Pagan Amum.
In January 2015, the SPLM factions, including the armed opposition led by Riek Machar, agreed in Arusha, Tanzania to reunite, but the process has since halted.
(ST)