South Sudan’s President Set to Sign Peace Deal

A week after spurning a peace deal with rebel leaders, South Sudan’s president has said he will now sign the agreement.

In a letter to the regional mediators from the Intergovernmental Authority for Development, South Sudan’s embassy in Ethiopia said that President Salva Kiir would sign the deal on Wednesday in the country’s capital, Juba, “in the interest of peace”.

Kiir declined to sign the agreement^[1] last week saying he needed more time to consult with his government. The rebel leader and Kiir’s former deputy, Riek Machar, did sign the document.

Kiir’s decision to delay signing came a few days after he replaced the leadership of the national oil company, upon which Juba relies for the bulk of its revenue.

Campaigners described Kiir’s move as an attempt to solidify control of the oil sector ahead of signing the deal, which will put in place a 30-month power-sharing government. Kiir’s refusal had left his beleaguered government potentially facing long-threatened U.S-backed economic sanctions, including a possible arms embargo.

“As the only non-signatory to the agreement, Juba would have been the primary target of a draft resolution on potential high-level targeted sanctions at the UN Security Council,” said Justine Fleischner an analyst with U.S. anti-genocide campaign group, Enough Project.

Under the peace deal, Kiir would have to consult Machar, who is expected to take the position of Vice President, on such decisions.

Kiir faces a daunting challenge to steady his country’s oil industry. As South Sudan descended deeper into civil war, oil prices plunged. At the same time, the price the landlocked country pays for access to a pipeline that exports its oil through Sudan remains fixed, devouring a substantial chunk of the country’s main source of revenue.

Oil regions have witnessed the heaviest combat making it increasingly difficult to properly maintain South Sudan’s petroleum infrastructure. Fears are rife that the conflict is inhibiting the country’s long-term ability to pump crude.

Oil companies closed some fields in Unity state along the border with Sudan a few weeks after the outbreak of the conflict. The remaining functional oil fields in Upper Nile state are producing well below capacity, slashing the country’s crude output to 165,000 barrels-a-day compared with 350,000 barrels-a-day when South Sudan gained independence from Sudan in 2011.

The current conflict, which erupted in December 2013, has since splintered the country, roughly the size of France, along ethnic lines, pitting Kiir’s Dinka tribesmen against Machar’s Nuer community.

Write to Nicholas Bariyo at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.^[2].

References

1. ^{^} declined to sign the agreement (www.wsj.com)
2. ^{^} This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. (www.bing.com)