Kiir says S. Sudan states number to be discussed in dialogue process
October 1, 2017 (JUBA) – South Sudan President Salva Kiir said the national dialogue will be an opportunity for the people to decide on the number of states.
President Kiir, according to the official South Sudan broadcasting Corporation explained that the dialogue is intended to address the issues which the 2015 peace accord overlooked.
“The national dialogue is intended to iron out whatever differences that remained, that have not been addressed by the (peace) agreement. Whatever type of the system of governance that the people want, they can recommend it through the national dialogue,” he said.
“How do they want the government to be shaped, the national government, the state governments, do they need more states, do they need some of the states to be scrapped and then to squeeze the government, all these things are left to them,” he added.
Kiir pointed that such process will pave the way to achieve unity again and peace in the troubled country.
The opposition groups in the past rejected the creation of 28 states in the country by the President Kiir, saying such matter should be discussed during the transitional period by the constituent assembly.
South Sudanese leader said the purpose of 2015 agreement with the rebel SPLM-Io and other groups was “to bring the warring parties together to silence the guns in our country”.
He once again repeated that the IGAD brokered peace agreement was “not a good agreement” imposed by the outsiders who wanted it to be signed on 17 August 2015.
“(But) I did not sign. I said this agreement I will sign it in Juba after having consulted with my people and I came back and took seven days, consulted with different groups and after that I invited the IGAD leaders to come to Juba and they came,” he added.
President Kiir signed the Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in the Republic of South Sudan on 26 August 2015.
The national dialogue, he said, was not welcomed from the beginning by foreign diplomats in the country but has now been gradually accepted by those who did not show interest from the start and have now started to join slowly the process.
(ST)