Africa-Press – South-Sudan. Focus now shifts to the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) to address the impasse between SPLM-IO and SPLM-IG, in regard to the latest standoff between two key principals to the peace agreement—President Salva Kiir and First Vice President Riek Machar.
Machar has already asked IGAD, a peace guarantor, to play the role of a mediator, after he accused the president of taking one of the portfolios.
The defence ministry was handed to SPLM-IO by the 2018 peace agreement had handed SPLM-IO. But in a Mach 5 decree, President Kiir swapped it with the one for the interior.
Machar termed the changes “unilateral”, adding that they were never consulted.
But while the political temperature has since cooled down since the changes were affected by the president, on the peripheries, discussions are ongoing to find a permanent solution.
The two leaders had a fruitful meeting yesterday leading to the reinstatement of Jonglei Assembly Speaker Amer Ateny Alier.
Alier, a member of SPLM-IO, was suspended by President Kiir in early January
The reinstatement of Alier was one of the cases cited by SPLM-IO as among the “many violations” by IG, a key party to the agreement.
In his letter to IGAD on March 30, Machar asked for intervention to save the situation.
“I am requesting the intervention of IGAD to resolve these grave violations that put RARCSS in jeopardy,” read the protest letter in parts.
The letter further added: “I am writing to inform you that President Salva Kiir has unexpectedly interrupted the ongoing negotiations to resolve the recent violations by appointing a new Minister of Defense and Veterans Affairs on March 29, 2023, compounding the already existing deadlock.” Machar said.
Though IGAD “acknowledged” receipt of the letter, according to SPLM-IO, the intergovernmental body is yet to publicly show its positions on how to handle the deadlock.
But according to insiders, talks are currently ongoing, behind closed doors, to have the stalemate resolved.
On Wednesday, the two principals met and “resolved challenges and outstanding issues of concern,” according to Minister of Presidential Affairs, Dr. Barnaba Marial Benjamin, even though some of Machar’s demands are yet to be “met.”
In an exclusive interview with the City Review on Wednesday, Puok Both Baluang, press secretary in the office of the First Vice President, said that the ball is on the peace guaranteeing parties to resolve the simmering differences, which he termed as jeopardizing the agreement.
“We are waiting for the response of the IGAD. They have acknowledged that they have received our letter, and they will do the process of how to tackle these issues,” Puok said.
He expressed that the peace guarantors had received the complaint from SPLM-IO but had yet to communicate the way forward in handling the request placed on their table.
Already City Review understands that SPLM-IO may be given a key ministry, in exchange for the defence as part of the president’s move to have the matter resolved once and for all.
“We are eyeing the IGAD to address all the violations that have so far occurred in some chapters of the agreement that are jeopardizing the entire agreement,” Puok added.
He expressed the need for quick intervention in order to give peace implementation a chance for smooth flow and lead to democratic elections.
“We have put all the violations on the table of the IGAD, and we are waiting for the feedback from them,” he added.
He said that SPLM-IO would continue to engage with the parties to the agreement to ensure that peace and stability are achieved in the country.
However, when contacted to comment on whether there is a new development in regards to the talks between Kiir and Machar, to potentially address the issues that arose following the firing of Angelina Teny, and the swapping of ministries, Lily Adhieu, press secretary in the office of the President, said talks are ongoing to have the matter addressed.
“We are working on it.
“You will get the update soon,” Adhieu told City Review.
In late 2022, the parties to the agreement extended the transitional period by another two years, and it is expected to culminate in an election in December 2024.
However, the groundwork for a conducive environment for elections is still not in place, as unified forces remain undeployed and election institutions and laws have not been put in place.
Source: The City Review South Sudan
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