Kenya, Sudan, Uganda and Ethiopia must directly participate in
the implementation of the new South Sudan peace agreement signed in
Khartoum on September 12, officials say, or risk having it go the way of
the 2015 agreement.
South Sudan ambassador to China John Andruga Duku, who was part of the government delegation during the negotiations, told The EastAfrican in Nairobi that Juba is determined to restore peace after Sudan came in strongly to push for the agreement.
He
said previously the rebels had a safe haven in Sudan, but with
President Omar al-Bashir accelerating the process the government hopes
that Khartoum will no longer allow rebels to operate on its soil.
“It
is in the interests of these countries to ensure that the agreement is
implemented. The agreement is not only for the suffering of the South
Sudanese but for the sake of the economy and the security of the entire
region,” said Mr Duku.
However, he claimed that the
strong involvement of President al-Bashir in the process is one of the
reasons why the Troika — US, UK and Norway — did not endorse the
agreement because he did not allow them to dictate the pace and the
contents of the agreement like in 2015.
“This time we
are asking the Western powers whether they are for peace or for the
continuation of the war. If they are not supporting the revitalised
agreement signed by the majority of the stakeholders, then they are
trying to be more Catholic than the Pope,” he said.
The Troika, the major funders of the South Sudan peace process
and the key donors to the country, did not guarantee the agreement
because it was not fully inclusive and concentrated on political
power-sharing, adding that South Sudanese leaders sign agreements that
they don’t honour.
Ceasefire
Riek Machar’s Sudanese People’s Liberation Movement-In-Opposition (SPLM-IO) is also calling for optimism among its supporters.
Mabior
Garang de Mabior, the SPLM-IO director for information and public
relations, said they believe that a settlement could result in the
reforms they have been fighting for.
“The SPLM-IO
members should not be dismayed that we did not get everything we want
from the agreement or because many assurances given by the mediators
have not been adequately addressed. But this is the nature of
negotiations,” he said.
He is, however, concerned by
the continued attacks by the government forces on their defensive
positions in Equatoria and Upper Nile, which pose a challenge to the
implementation of the permanent ceasefire during the eight months
pre-interim period.
“The main goals of the Revitalised
Agreement is to prepare for a free and fair election by embarking on
reforms in the judiciary, the army and the police, the return of the
over two million refugees in the neighbouring countries, delineation of
the constituencies, and the registration of voters within the
eight-month pre-transition period,” said Mr Duku.
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