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No let up as Kiir, Machar allies dismiss deal

Saturday February 07 2015
Kiir machar

The two leaders have signed and then broken at least six previous ceasefire agreements since fighting began in December 2013. PHOTO | FILE |

The peace agreement signed last week by the two warring parties in South Sudan has already drawn opposition from both sides who accuse Inter-Governmental Authority on Development of imposing solutions on them.

The SPLM in Opposition representative to Kenya Adel Sandrai, told The EastAfrican that the “take-it or leave-it” tone of the agreement undermines the essence of a peacefully negotiated settlement.

“The signed document is not the final peace agreement as many people would want to believe,” he said.

“This is simply a document that shows the outline of the transitional government. It does not give any detail of what the structure of the government would be, it does not give power-sharing ratios to the parties, it does not mention what the system of government would be in place during the transitional period and it does not even address the issues of security arrangement, which is crucial in safeguarding any peace agreement,” he added.

READ: South Sudan rivals in new ceasefire deal

First vice-president

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South Sudanese charge de affaires in Kenya James Morgan also argued that the proposal to install former vice president Dr Riek Machar as first vice-president at the expense of the current office holder, James Wani Iga, is unacceptable since President Salva Kiir is not ready to work with his erstwhile ally.

Mr Morgan also took offence with the demand by the on Igad mediators for Ugandan troops to withdraw from South Sudan, arguing that as a sovereign state the country has the right to enter into bilateral defence pact with its neighbours.

Mr Morgan observed that the deal gives Dr Machar a soft landing to return home without retribution. But he maintained that the rebel leader should just prepare for the next elections and should not expect to be given leadership through negotiations.

“President Kiir will not accept Dr Machar to be close to him again. Dr Machar is not going to become the vice-president for Igad so it is up to the South Sudanese people to decide,” said Mr Morgan.

It now appears that both warring parties are not comfortable with the agreement signed on February 1 in Addis Ababa because it did not build on the progress made in Arusha where the three factions of SPLM agreed to come together and affect internal reforms within the party.

The Addis Ababa agreement gives the deadline of March 5 for the warring parties to form a transitional government of national unity. But the rebels are taking exception at the provision that “should the office of the President or the office of the First Vice President fall vacant during the transition period for any reason, including mental infirmity or physical incapacity of the office holder, then the office of president or first vice president, respectively, will be assumed by the nominee of the respective party.”

READ: Wars in the Sudans have merged, affects peace efforts: report

Mr Sandrai said the provision is an indication that Dr Machar cannot succeed President Kiir despite the agreement giving him the position of the first vice-president. He maintained that Igad was trying to convince its donors that it is making progress yet the agreement did not address the root causes of the conflict.

“Igad is essentially saying that we should be having two parties and yet the Arusha Accord had set the stage to unite SPLM. The agreement gives 60 per cent share to the government, 30 per cent to the SPLM in Opposition and 10 per cent to the rest of the parties. But our position is that we should have 45 per cent each and 10 per cent to the rest,” said Mr Sandrai. The two parties are set to resume talks on February 19.

South Sudan has been in the grip of civil war since December 2013 when fighting broke out between SPLA factions loyal to President Kiir and another loyal to former vice-president Machar.

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