Juba warns peace talks beset by International Community’s ‘double standards’
South Sudan rejected the conditions requested by the international community’s mediators and the rebels, said Makuei, addressing a news conference in Addis Ababa on Sunday, as shown on South Sudan TV (SSTV).
He said that South Sudan had been clear from day one” that it would not meet any preconditions outlined by the rebels.
We are not ready to negotiate on preconditions.”
The IGAD (Intergovernmental Authority for Development) community supported that [guiding framework] and now we are told to release these people [11 prisoners] so that we create a conducive atmosphere for the peace talks,” said Makuei, who is also South Sudan’s government spokesman. This is a condition being attached to the talks. We are not ready to negotiate on preconditions.”
Makuei said the international community was demonstrating double standards” and exerting undue pressure” on South Sudan’s President to release prisoners linked to President Salva Kiir’s political rival and former Vice President Riek Machar.
The alleged coup took place on December 15, 2013, triggering a violent chain reaction across half of South Sudan’s states, killing more than 1,000 people and raising the spectre of another civil war in the world’s newest nation.
This is a case of treason,” said Makuei. There is no way we can investigate such massive crimes committed by a group of people within two three days.”
Following the outbreak of the crisis, the government arrested 11 senior politicians for allegedly supporting former Vice President Machar’s bid to overthrow the government.
He said releasing the men, was out of the question. And this is why I say the international community has not been realistic.”
On Monday South Sudan’s government delegation joined rebels loyal to former Vice President Machar for face-to-face talks in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The IGAD brought the two warring parties together to end four weeks of violence which forced two hundred thousand people from their homes, according to the latest information from the United Nations.
We still remain committed to that principle [of unconditional peace talks].”
Ahead of the meeting, rebels insisted peace talks could only start with the release of members of their group, detained for allegedly masterminding the coup.
During a meeting with his Sudanese counterpart on Monday, South Sudanese President reiterated he was not inclined to budge on the prisoners issue. We still remain committed to that principle [of unconditional peace talks],” Kiir told the press.
However, South Sudan’s ex Foreign Minister Nhial Deng Nhial, who heads the government’s negotiation team, expressed optimism for a breakthrough, describing hope” despite the rebels’ insistence on several issues.
So there is an intense process that is going on aimed at arriving -- and as speedily as possible -- at cessation of hostilities,” Nhial told journalists in Juba on Tuesday. Initially, there was a hiccup that threatened to scuttle the negotiation but fortunately the problem was resolved.”
The extended fighting is the worst in South Sudan since it gained independence from Sudan in 2011, the result of a peace deal that ended one of Africa’s longest civil wars.
Although the peace talks officially started on Saturday, battles have continued unabated in several parts of South Sudan.
In a country of war, it is the parents who bury their sons and daughters, while in a country of peace, it is the sons and daughters who bury their parents.” Ethiopian diplomat Seyoum Mesfin made an emotional plea for peace on Monday at the end of the preliminary meeting between the two sides. In a country of war, it is the parents who bury their sons and daughters, while in a country of peace, it is the sons and daughters who bury their parents,” he told reporters.
He added that South Sudan has more than two generations of parents burying their sons and daughters”.
Meanwhile, the United Nations is struggling to keep pace with the basic needs of a growing population on the run for their lives. The United Nation’s Humanitarian Coordinator Toby Lanzer has called on all parties to respect humanitarian workers and their priorities.
He expressed concern that rebels had abused the property of humanitarian aid agencies.
In the town of Bor during the past weeks we have had vehicles stolen and used by the opposition forces. This shows disrespect to the principles of neutrality, which is key for humanitarian actors.”
The UN has appealed for US$166 million to address the gaping shortages of water, food and medicine in South Sudan.
