South Sudan: Kiir announces roadmap, criticizes UN
Tuesday, 21 Jan, 2014
President accuses UN mission in Juba of showing bias in favor of
anti-government rebels
London, Asharq Al-Awsat-Embattled South Sudanese President Salva Kiir
announced on Monday a roadmap for ending the conflict that has ravaged the
country since mid-December.
Speaking at a press conference in the capital, Juba, Kiir proposed an
investigation into crimes and violations committed since December 15, 2013.
He also proposed setting up a commission for achieving reconciliation and
peace, and called for the return of South Sudanese citizens from the UN
bases they fled to when the fighting broke out.
Kiir said he was committed to a peace process sponsored by Africa's
Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), and claimed he wanted to
bring the military conflict that erupted between him and former Vice
President Riek Machar to an end.
The president also said he was not opposed to releasing prisoners affiliated
with Machar, but only once legal measures against them were completed.
"Amnesty for political detainees is possible, but only after investigations
end," he said.
Kiir, however, rejected rebel calls for the Ugandan military units fighting
alongside government forces in South Sudan to be withdrawn. Kiir defended
their involvement, claiming they were deployed in South Sudan "under an
agreement signed in 2005 within the framework of joint operations aimed at .
. . [pursuing] rebels in Kampala."
A Twitter account believed to be run by Machar said on Monday that there
would not be a ceasefire until the Ugandan army pulled out of the country
and anti-government detainees were released.
Kiir also hit out at the UN mission to Juba, which he accused of showing
bias towards the rebels.
"The UN mission must be ashamed of its actions in South Sudan," he said,
adding, "It acts as if it were the government, and if Ban Kai-Moon wants
[this to be] so, he has to declare that frankly."
In exclusive comments to Asharq Al-Awsat, South Sudan Army spokesman Philip
Aguer said that government forces had "recaptured the city of Malakal from
rebels," adding that the seizure of the strategic town marks the "beginning
of the end" of the armed insurgency in the country.
Aguer claimed that rebels are being pushed out of major cities and are
currently only in control of "tiny towns such as Akobo and Al-Nasser and
some remote villages in the eastern Jonglei state."
"It is premature to assert that the insurgency has ended or weakened," he
said, adding that "a few gunmen can undermine security in the country, a
thing which neither the government nor the army accept."
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Received on Tue Jan 21 2014 - 17:04:24 EST