JUBA (Reuters) - A South Sudanese opposition leader who has been a leading critic of President Salva Kiir said on Wednesday he was barred from boarding a plane to attend peace talks in Ethiopia. Lam Akol, whose Shilluk ethnic group say they have been sidelined for years, said the IGAD East African regional bloc had invited him to peace talks but he was blocked from boarding the flight from the capital Juba to Addis Ababa.
"Unfortunately, a major general of the police told us that he has directives from the Presidency that the leaders of political parties are not allowed to travel without the permission from the presidency," Akol told Reuters. Awen Riek, speaking for the president's office, said the government had no information that Akol's party had been invited to the talks.
A political crisis in South Sudan in late 2013 sparked fighting that reopened ethnic fault lines between Kiir's Dinka people and ethnic Nuer forces. Other ethnic groups, such as Akol's Shilluk, say they have been excluded from peace talks. The talks have made glacial progress and ceasefire agreements have been broken repeatedly. Akol, a foreign minister of South Sudan when it was a semi-autonomous region before independence in 2011, formed his SPLM-DC party after breaking away from the ruling SPLM. He criticized the scrapping of elections that were due in June and opposed the extension of Kiir's term in office by three years. (Reporting by Denis Demo; Writing by Edith Honan; Editing by Ruth Pitchford)
© Thomson Reuters 2015 All rights reserved.
Newer articles:
- South Sudan Peace Talks Hit Turbulence on First Day - 07/08/2015 18:42
- Fundraiser seeks to help Andrew Loku’s five children in South Sudan - 07/08/2015 18:08
- South Sudan Peace Talks Resume With IGAD Plea for Compromise - 06/08/2015 17:14
- South Sudan: More will die from cholera unless we secure clean water - 06/08/2015 06:20
- South Sudan: the bishop who brings home lessons of unity and peace - 06/08/2015 00:03
Older news items
- Sudan court clears South Sudan pastors of spying - 05/08/2015 11:17
- An airline service map shows how bad things are getting in war-torn South Sudan - 05/08/2015 08:08
- South Sudan government denies 'starvation' aid blockade - 05/08/2015 04:20
- South Sudan shutters 2 newspapers in apparent crackdown - 05/08/2015 04:04
- Symbol of freedom runs dry as S.Sudan brewery eyes closure - 05/08/2015 02:07
Latest news items (all categories):
- IGAD and South Sudan Strengthen National Coordination for the Implementation of the Building Women’s Economic Resilience for Sustainable Peace Project - 03/08/2026 18:53
- South Sudan plans interoperable birth registration, digital ID systems - 03/08/2026 18:50
- South Sudan Oil & Power Returns as South Sudan’s Premier Investment Platform - 03/08/2026 18:04
- Kenya: Mudavadi meets South Sudan foreign minister as Juba gears up for landmark elections - 03/08/2026 16:52
- A Long Road Home: Jal’s Journey Through Conflict and Separation - 03/08/2026 16:41
Random articles (all categories):
- Philippines: Nurse serves conflict-affected communities in Syria and South Sudan - 22/09/2023 05:22
- South Sudan: Humanitarian Response Dashboard (January - June 2020) - 31/08/2020 18:20
- UPDF Dismisses UN Report Alleging Atrocities in South Sudan - 11/03/2026 14:23
- From Bombing Iranian Nuclear Sites to Extracting Nicolás Maduro: Why Trump's Total Enforcement is a Realpolitik Fallacy? (Part I) - 06/01/2026 17:24
- South Sudan Admits Downing UN Helicopter, 4 Killed - Voice of America - 22/12/2012 00:46
Popular articles:
- Who is the darkest person in the world, according to Guinness World Record? - 25/10/2022 02:34 - Read 148274 times
- School exam results in South Sudan show decline - 01/04/2012 17:58 - Read 27915 times
- Top 10 weakest currency exchange rates in Africa in 2023 - 19/07/2023 00:24 - Read 25000 times
- No oil in troubled waters - 25/03/2014 15:02 - Read 24322 times
- NDSU student from South Sudan receives scholarship - In-Forum - 29/09/2012 01:44 - Read 22279 times
