South Sudan President Does About-Face, Heads to Peace Talks

South Sudanese President Salva Kiir has reversed his decision not to attend peace talks in Addis Ababa and left for the Ethiopian capital on Sunday, Cabinet Affairs Minister Martin Elia Lomoro told reporters at a hastily convened news conference here. 

President Kiir was convinced by regional leaders, "and especially President Yoweri Museveni, who we consider a wise leader and who we have great linkages with"  to attend the talks, Lomoro said.

The negotiations are are supposed to culminate in a peace deal on Monday.

Lomoro did not indicate if President Kiir will sign the deal by the deadline imposed by the international mediation team, known as IGAD-Plus.

"He is going to explain to his colleagues the challenges that are now confronting the signing of the compromise agreement tomorrow (Monday) and to check and ensure that ... the proposals of the heads of state in Kampala are included, and that all other points of contention are agreed upon," Lomoro said.

Mr. Kiir will also raise with other leaders at the talks the issue of a split in the opposition camp. Several generals announced early this week that they have broken away from rebel leader Riek Machar's SPLM-in-Opposition (SPLM-IO) ^[1]and set up their own political movement and fighting force.

"Dr. Machar has already been ousted and disowned by his army and politicians and if we sign peace we have to sign peace with all the factions and groups that are fighting in South Sudan," Lomoro said.

Last week, government officials said they only wanted to negotiate with Machar's SPLM-in-Opposition (SPLM-IO), and not with a third party of former detainees who were also at the negotiating table.

More reasons

Lomoro said Friday the split in the SPLM-IO made it  unclear who was in charge of the armed opposition and who Mr. Kiir's chief interlocutor would be in Addis Ababa. He cited it as the reason Mr. Kiir would not attend the talks.

On Sunday, Lomoro gave several other reasons for Mr. Kiir's initial decision not to go to Addis, including that the president has not been sufficiently briefed by chief government negotiator Nhial Deng Nhial on what has been agreed to in the peace deal that is supposed to be signed Monday and what points are still under debate. 

But Lomoro insisted Mr. Kiir's sudden reversal was "not a response to the threats from all over the world," including a warning that targeted sanctions could be imposed on top-tier officials in South Sudan if no deal is reached by the deadline.

"We are not afraid of sanctions," Lomoro said. "This country belongs to us. The peace we are talking about is a peace for us, not for them. It is us who fought for many years to make our country an independent state."

He said the decision for Mr. Kiir to travel to Addis was taken in response to "the needs of the country and... to the call of our colleagues in the region." 

Chief mediator Seyoum Mesfin has said the deadline for signing a peace deal will not be extended. 

References

1. ^{^} broken away from rebel leader Riek Machar's SPLM-in-Opposition (SPLM-IO) (www.voanews.com)