S. Sudan’s planned election violates peace process: Amum
April 23, 2018 (NAIROBI) – Threats by South Sudan government to hold elections should peace talks fail is a plan to interfere in the peace process mediated by the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), Pagan Amum, a member of the former political detainees said.
In an email to Sudan Tribune, the former secretary general of the country’s ruling party (SPLM) said it will be a “sham” election process.
South Sudan Opposition Alliance (SSOA), an alliance of nine South Sudanese opposition groups formed to accelerate efforts to end the conflict in South Sudan had demanded that the IGAD mediation team deals with them as one political entity in the peace revitalization meeting, which was pushed to May.
The alliance comprises of the Federal Democratic Party, National Salvation Front, National Democratic Movement, People’s Democratic Movement, South Sudan Liberation Movement, South Sudan National Movement for Change, South Sudan Patriotic Movement, South Sudan United Movement and United Democratic Alliance.
Amum said IGAD consulted SSOA as one entity and it will deal with it as such.
“Of course the nine parties are invited individually to the talks,” he said.
He accused the Juba regime of obstructing the high-level forum revitalization process, stressing that is was the coalition government’s forces continuously violating the cessation of hostilities agreement.
“It is the government that refused to sign the declaration of principles,” the former SPLM secretary general told Sudan Tribune.
Last week, IGAD announced that it said had postponed South Sudan peace talks aimed at securing the implementation of the country August 2015 peace accord to an undisclosed date in May.
The talks were scheduled for 26 April in Addis Ababa, but the regional bloc postponed it, but gave no reasons for their decision.
Amum said the IGAD’s move will not affect the outcome of the talks.
“The IGAD postponed the talks for a week to continue their shuttle diplomacy. I do not think that this delay will affect the outcome in anyway,” he observed.
The South Sudanese civil war is an ongoing conflict in South Sudan between forces of the government and opposition forces. In December 2013, President Kiir accused his former deputy Riek Machar and ten others of attempting a coup d’état.
The fighting has killed tens of thousands of people and displaced over two million.
(ST)