African Union fires warning to warring parties in Juba
Saturday May 19 2018
Displaced South Sudanese at a camp near Kordofan state on May 13, 2018. The AU has warned that it will impose sanctions on leaders who derail peace talks. PHOTO | AFP
The South Sudan peace talks resumed in Addis Ababa on May 17 in the wake of threats of sanctions by the African Union against saboteurs of the process.
However, the poor history of the AU in calling out its members to account has cast doubts on the threat to impose sanctions against South Sudanese players as the talks enter the crucial third phase.
The 55-member continental body has been known to act quickly to suspend countries that have effected regime change through coups, but is always reluctant to impose sanctions or implement those that have been imposed by the United Nations.
The US charge d’Affaires in South Sudan, Michael Morrow told The EastAfrican that the AU has the capacity to impose sanctions against people who obstruct the peace process, but often lacks the political will.
On May 15, the AU Peace and Security Council announced that it would punish the peace violators with targeted sanctions against those who would sabotage the peace process in Addis Ababa and those who continue to violate the Secession of Hostilities Agreement signed in December last year.
This is the second time the AU is talking about sanctions against South Sudan after the commission chairperson, Moussa Faki Mahamat, in January announced that time has come to slap sanctions on those blocking peace in the “senseless violence.”
The biggest challenge is that any sanctions by the AU must first be implemented by the respective regional economic communities (RECs), in this case the Inter-Governmental Authority on Development (Igad).
But Igad partner states, especially Kenya and Uganda, have been accused by the UN of allowing the passage of arms. The two countries have also been reluctant to implement the unilateral arms embargo imposed by the US last year.
Experts on South Sudan affairs are divided on the issue but the majority say the AU could just be issuing empty threats because the continental body has not acted on targeted sanctions imposed on individuals by the UN, the US and the European Union.
Gabriael Dak, a member of the Senior Youth of South Sudan lobby, said that it was doubtful the AU would sanction South Sudan, and that if it did, members would not enforce the sanctions.
No action
“The UN and the EU had imposed sanctions on many war generals in South Sudan in 2014, some had their bank accounts frozen, but AU countries especially these countries in eastern Africa never act on them seriously,” said Mr Dak.
Biel Boutros Biel, a South Sudan human rights lawyer based in Uganda, said that the AU can impose sanctions concurrently with the UN, Troika and Igad, but the regional countries remain the impediments.
According to James Morgan, the South Sudan Permanent Representative to the AU, the government has always made it clear that violators should be punished if the violations can be verified by the relevant bodies.
“The government welcomes those sanctions if based on facts but we will not accept if they only target the government officials based on the regime change policy imparted on some Igad member states by the Troika’s hidden agenda,” said Mr Morgan.