http://www.nation.co.ke/news/South-Sudan-wants-peace-talks-moved-to-Kenya/-/1056/2649672/-/lf2djw/-/index.html
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 11, 2015
South Sudan wants any future peace talks moved to Kenya
In Summary
The demand that talks between Salva Kiir’s government and rebel leader
Riek Machar should to be held on Kenyan soil is not new.
Last week, negotiations aimed at reaching a long-term solution failed
in Addis Ababa despite pressure from the UN to impose sanctions on
South Sudan.
Juba’s resurrection of this demand may mean South Sudan is changing
tack over its suspicion that Kenya was favouring the rebels in the
talks.
South Sudan is resurrecting its demand for any future peace talks to
be transferred to Kenya from Ethiopia after mediators failed to
convince warring parties to reach a deal last week.
The country’s deputy ambassador to Kenya, James P Morgan, told the
Nation on Wednesday that both Ethiopia and Sudan are harming peace
talks by “domineering.”
“The next round of peace talks should be out of Ethiopia and Sudan
should be excluded from being a mediator, since it controls, trains
and arms the rebels,” Mr Morgan said in an interview in Nairobi.
The demand that talks between Salva Kiir’s government and rebel leader
Riek Machar should to be held on Kenyan soil is not new. But Juba now
says that holding negotiations in Kenya will ensure talks occur under
those it thinks understand South Sudan better.
“From the start, we have been saying these talks were not in the right
place. It should have been in Kenya, where the Comprehensive Peace
Agreement (CPA) was signed [in 2005],” he argued.
“Lt-Gen Lazarus Sumbeiywo oversaw those negotiations that led to the
CPA. He understands South Sudan better. In the current mediation
process (sic), he has a boss and he is not free. He cannot make
decisions that will help South Sudan.”
South Sudan, seceded from Sudan in 2011 following a referendum that
had been agreed upon in the CPA. Negotiations that led to the CPA were
mediated by Kenya’s retired Lt-Gen Lazarus Sumbeiywo.
But the two countries retained old wounds, with Juba occasionally
accusing Khartoum of sponsoring rebels.
In December 2013, Juba fell into chaos after rebels loyal to the
former vice-president engineered a failed coup against President Salva
Kiir. Soon, the war spread around the country. It is estimated that
50,000 people have been killed since.
Last week, negotiations aimed at reaching a long-term solution failed
in Addis Ababa despite pressure from the UN to impose sanctions on
South Sudan.
The Intergovernmental Authority on Development (Igad), a regional
bloc, had appointed Ethiopia’s Seyoum Mesfin to mediate alongside
Kenya’s Lazarus Sumbeiywo and Sudan’s Mohamed El Dabi.
IGAD MEMBER
South Sudan is a member of Igad alongside Kenya, Ethiopia, Djibouti,
Sudan, Uganda, Somalia and Eritrea.
Despite signing seven ceasefire agreements overseen by the bloc, none
of them stood longer than two weeks before fighting resumed.
“It is not that we did not like to agree with the rebels. They kept
changing goalposts. The international community was aware of
everything from the start but they kept blaming both sides for
violations,” Mr Morgan told the Nation.
“We blame rebel leaders who is a hostage of Khartoum and we believe
the international community should focus on Khartoum rather than
impose sanctions on us. That will be premature.”
After last week, Igad admitted its tactics had been wanting. The
bloc’s chairman, Ethiopian Prime Minister Hailemariam Dessalegn wrote
to South Sudanese people to acknowledge the group had used wrong
methods to convince parties.
“Our efforts cannot continue unaltered and expect a different outcome;
the peace process must be reinvigorated and reformed,” he conceded.
“In the coming days, I will consult with my colleagues, the Igad
leaders, partners and friends in the region, on the continent, and
beyond to agree a common plan of action.”
Igad had previously promised sanctions which it never implemented.
Following last week talks, the UN adopted a resolution to impose those
sanctions, which would require the support of Igad to succeed.
Juba’s resurrection of this demand may mean South Sudan is changing
tack over its suspicion that Kenya was favouring the rebels in the
talks.
Two weeks ago, President Kiir told The EastAfrican that Kenya would
“mess up the region” if it continued accommodating rebels.
“We believe that President [Uhuru] Kenyatta should not bring himself
to support Riek Machar, but of course he has been accommodating the
former detainees and Riek Machar receives goodwill when he goes to
Nairobi,” President Kiir said in an interview.
Received on Wed Mar 11 2015 - 21:11:18 EDT