President Uhuru Kenyatta, Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn, and
President Yoweri Museveni at the Igad meeting on December 27 in State
House, Nairobi. Photo/PSCU
By FRED OLUOCH Special Correspondent
Posted Saturday, December 28 2013 at 19:10
Posted Saturday, December 28 2013 at 19:10
In Summary
- An extraordinary session of Igad, held in Nairobi on December 27, 2013, resolved to continue pursuing a “political solution” to the crisis, with indications of a power-sharing deal in the offing.
- While the leaders condemned attempts to change the constitutional order in the country through violence, they asked the government to review the status of those detained over the coup “in recognition of their role in accordance with the laws of the Republic of South Sudan.”
- Both sides have indicated they want to hold talks but the Machar camp has insisted the government must first release political prisoners, saying the prisoners are part of the solution.
After a week of a bloody conflict between the
government forces and rebels in South Sudan, Intergovernmental Authority
on Development member states are upping pressure on President Salva
Kiir and his rival Riek Machar to begin face-to-face dialogue and cease
all forms of violence.
An extraordinary session of Igad, held in Nairobi
on December 27, 2013, resolved to continue pursuing a “political
solution” to the crisis, with indications of a power-sharing deal in the
offing.
The session, chaired by Ethiopia’s Prime Minister
Hailemariam Desalegn, told protagonists in the conflict to hold
face-to-face talks by December 31, 2013. They must also ensure
protection of civilians and humanitarian workers.
The session was attended by Presidents Uhuru
Kenyatta (Kenya), Ismail Omar Guelleh (Djibouti), Yoweri Museveni
(Uganda) and Hassan Sheikh Mohamud (Somalia). Also in attendance was
Bakri Hassan Saleh (First Vice President, Republic of Sudan), Dr Barnaba
Marial Benjamin (Minister for Foreign Affairs, South Sudan), Mahboub
Maalim (Executive Secretary, IGAD) and Erastus Mwencha (Deputy
Chairman, African Union Commission).
And, while the leaders condemned attempts to
change the constitutional order in the country through violence, they
asked the government to review the status of those detained over the
coup “in recognition of their role in accordance with the laws of the
Republic of South Sudan.”
Both sides have indicated they want to hold talks
but the Machar camp has insisted the government must first release
political prisoners, saying the prisoners are part of the solution. Some
of them, such as former SPLM secretary-general Pagan Amum, are expected
to lead negotiations on Dr Machar’s side.
Highhandedness
President Kiir’s government has been accused by
his opponents of highhandedness, tribalism and corruption and working
outside the ruling Sudanese People’s Liberation Movement party
structures.
He has been accused of stifling the secretariat,
the National Liberation Council and the Political Bureau of the party.
Analysts say peace could be restored if the president allows the
reorganisation of SPLM and allows party structures to operate.
The UN Security Council has also increased the
size of its peacekeeping force in South Sudan to help protect civilians
from violence, following a resolution by the Security Council to send an
additional 5,500 peacekeepers to bolster the UN Mission in South Sudan
(Unmiss), which already has about 7,000 members.
The peacekeepers are authorised to use force to
carry out their mandate to protect civilians and facilitate delivery of
humanitarian aid to the tens of thousands of civilians needing help due
to displacement.
Meanwhile, the conflict is now centred on oil
resources after forces loyal to Dr Machar claimed to have taken the two
oil-rich states of Unity and Jonglei.
Dr Machar declared plans to halt oil revenue
remittances from his home state of Unity to the capital Juba, saying he
would establish an extra account to which the oil revenues will be
remitted
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