South Sudan Displeased at Non-Invitation to Obama Meeting

South Sudan’s foreign minister says the government in Juba is disappointed after it was left out of a meeting with President Barack Obama to discuss the country’s conflict.

Obama met with regional leaders and senior officials of the African Union and the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), a regional bloc about the ongoing conflict in South Sudan.

South Sudan foreign minister Barnaba Marial Benjamin says his country plans on Wednesday, to officially send a petition to both the AU and IGAD for breaching protocol by refusing to inform or invite the “constitutionally elected” South Sudanese government to the meeting with Obama.

He welcomed President Obama’s effort to help with the resolution of the crisis in South Sudan, but said it was wrong for the country to be left out of the meeting.

Benjamin says the government has been working closely with the U.S in bilateral relations to ensure peace returns to South Sudan. He says he will send a protest letter to the foreign minister of Ethiopia which country holds the chairmanship of the regional bloc, IGAD.

“That is very disappointing on the part of IGAD chairperson as well as the African Union because this republic should have been invited. If you talk about the issue of South Sudan that you want to bring to peace and you don’t invite that country then that is even a difficult process to proceed sort of normally,” said Benjamin.

“We would definitely put our protest very clearly to the chairperson of IGAD for having failed to advise His Excellency President Obama that if there is a regional meeting, you must also invite the Republic of South Sudan.”

Critics say South Sudan’s President Salva Kiir has squandered the country’s good will since it became the world’s newest nation. They also expressed disappointment that both President Kiir and former vice president and now rebel leader Riek Machar have yet to ensure peace is restored to South Sudan despite repeated peace negotiations mediated by IGAD.

Benjamin thanked the international community for its goodwill, but added that the country’s sovereignty is being ignored over the ongoing conflict.

“This international community is not listening to what the democratically elected government of South Sudan is doing towards this. President Salva Kiir and his government have made tremendous sacrifices in as far as the peace process is concerned, from the day one of December 2013. And it seems they are not listening to the efforts done by the government,” said Benjamin.

“It is not fair on the part of the international community to continue with this moral equivalence between an elected leadership and a rebel movement. It actually makes it a very disappointing diplomatic sort of gesture to the people of South Sudan who fought so hard to get their own country. Yes, we have a crisis, but please respect us as an elected government. To do such an act, I mean no country will take such a treatment in their face,” he added.

Critics accuse the leadership of South Sudan’s government of failing the people due to the ongoing conflict, which has so far left tens of thousands of citizens either killed or displaced from their homes.

Benjamin disagreed.

“The leadership of the government has not failed. If there is anything, the leadership of South Sudan has cooperated tremendously with the international community and has made adequate compromises that actually guarantee a peace process will go ahead,” said Benjamin. “The government is implementing the cessation of hostilities [agreement] strictly in spirit and in letter, [but] the international community is not seeing that, and this is unfair.”