Political figure blocked from traveling to Addis talks




South Sudanese security agents at Juba International Airport blocked a political figure representing a coalition of political parties in Juba from boarding an airplane to travel to Addis Ababa, where peace talks will be chaired by peace mediators on 5 February.
The coalition of national political parties led by Kernelio Kon had been invited to participate in the second phase of the revitalization process of the 2015 peace agreement.
Ismail Suleiman, a leading member of South Sudan’s Communist Party, told Radio Tamazuj this afternoon that Andrew Okony who is one of the three representatives of the coalition at peace talks was stopped at Juba airport as they tried to board a flight to Addis Ababa, pointing out that Okony was detained by national security agents this afternoon
"Okony was taken to an unknown destination by the security officials. I have just heard that he has been brought back and now he is being investigated at the airport for unclear reasons. The plane took off after Okony was prevented from travelling to Addis Ababa,” he said.
The political figure pointed out that various delegations in Juba have already travelled to Addis Ababa for the upcoming peace talks. “Alakiir who is representing women has also been stopped at Juba airport as she tried to board the flight,” Suleiman said.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

SPLA IO commander in Tombura apologizes for crime

Image
An SPLA IO commander in the former Western Equatoria has apologized to the people of Tombura for crimes his forces may have committed during the conflict in the state. Tombura is one of the states that have been affected by the conflict, especially following the renewed clashes in the July of 2016 According to UN, the conflict between the government forces and opposition groups affected local people, mostly in the Equatoria and Upper Nile regions. There have been reports of targeting of civilians, rape, abduction and displacement in the states, including Tombura, Amadi, Gbudue, and Maridi. “I want to tell you that when we were fighting, so many people were killed, children died, men died and women died too,” SPLA IO commander, James Nando confessed. Commander James then asked the inhabitant for forgiveness: “I stand in front of you today here to tell you that what had happen, forgive those of us who went to the bush.” He went on to say that “it was not our i...
Read more

Machar not ready to return to Juba in May.

Image
South Sudan’s former First Vice President, and leader of the main armed opposition group, SPLM-IO, Dr. Riek Machar, is reportedly not ready to return to Juba in May as part of a peace agreement signed six months ago. President Salva Kiir Mayardiit and the opposition leader signed the deal on September 12th in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa following months of tough negotiations in the Sudanese capital Khartoum by their delegations who only had an August 5th dateline to reach a preliminary deal. The agreement, also know as the Revitalized ARCSS, set forth a 8-months pre-transitional period within which security arrangements and relevant preparations for the would-be transitional government. The pre-transitional period ends exactly on April 12th 2019 and the unity government is supposed to be in place by that date according to the agreement. Speaking to the Nyamilepedia on Sunday evening, a senior opposition official who maintained the condition of anonymity said Machar ...
Read more

Museveni’s advise to Kiir: Colonial boundaries the best option, but prioritize citizens’ welfare

Image
Uganda’s President Yoweri Museveni has advised South Sudanese leaders not be consumed by fights over boundaries, saying they should instead channel their efforts towards improving the welfare and incomes of the citizens. President Museveni made the remarks on Thursday, during a meeting with President Salva Kiir at the state house in Entebbe – Uganda. In the bilateral meeting, President Kiir briefed his host on the progress of implementation of the Peace Agreement, indicating that it was largely on course with the exception of a few issues that needed to be resolved. One such issue President Kiir mentioned to his counterpart was the disagreement over some state boundaries. In response, President Museveni said South Sudanese leaders should not be fighting over state boundaries; but rather focus on eradicating poverty in the country. “It does not matter what state you are in. It won’t change much if you are poor. What is important is to work towards eradicating po...
Read more