Deadline passes without consultations on next peace talks















One month has passed so far and the East African regional bloc IGAD has not yet started to carry out consultations with South Sudan’s warring parties before the next round of talks could take place in Addis Ababa.
The second round of peace talks between delegations aligned to President Kiir and opposition groups was suspended temporarily after the parties reached a deadlock on governance and security arrangements on 16 February.
The IGAD mediation team said the third round of the peace talks will resume in four weeks’ time after intensified efforts to assist the parties to make the necessary compromises that will resolve the outstanding issues.
Edmund Yakani, executive director of the non-profit Community Empowerment for Progress Organization, told Radio Tamazuj that the deadline set by the East African regional bloc IGAD for consultations with the south Sudan warring parties has already passed without any progress.
The activist, who is also a stakeholder in the peace process, said the mediation team has not started any official communication with the warring parties on the start of the third round of the peace process in Addis Ababa.
The leading South Sudanese civil society activist said the delay could be attributed to the recent political developments in Ethiopia, referring to resignation of the Ethiopian Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn last month.
"Internal arrangements in Ethiopia have affected the South Sudanese peace process, but we expect that the talks will resume at the end of this month," Yakani said.
Yakani said that the third round of peace talks was supposed to begin today according to the deadline set by the mediation team.
IGAD officials could not immediately be reached to explain its plan for the third round of the peace talks in Addis Ababa.  



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