Juba (AFP) - War-torn South Sudan's president will snub a UN meeting aimed at boosting peace efforts because he feels he was summoned there like a "schoolboy", a minister said Friday.
United Nation Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon invited President Salva Kiir and his arch-rival, rebel leader Riek Machar, to New York later this month in a bid to bolster their struggling peace accord.
Machar has said he will attend the September 29 meeting, but Kiir will only be sending his deputy.
"You cannot just invite a president and give him short notice like a schoolboy to come and attend your meetings," Information Minister Michael Makuei told reporters.
He also said there may be a problem related to Kiir travelling to the United States.
"Going to America, as you know is a problem, in terms of visa. Yes they can give the president the visa, but they can obstruct the going of others who are accompanying the president, so in order to avoid all this embarrassment, the Vice President James Wani Igga is going to attend," he added.
Kiir and Machar signed a peace deal last month, but fighting has continued despite a ceasefire that was due to take hold on August 29.
The United States has been pushing for the UN Security Council to impose a travel ban and assets freeze on South Sudan's army chief Paul Malong and rebel commander Johnson Olony for their role in the continued fighting, although Russia and Angola have blocked the sanctions.
The world's youngest nation, South Sudan descended into bloodshed in December 2013 when Kiir accused Machar, then his deputy, of planning a coup.
The violence has left tens of thousands of people dead and the impoverished country split along ethnic lines.
Newer articles:
- South Sudan army denies committing atrocities in Central Equatoria - 19/09/2015 15:37
- S. Sudan president to snub UN over 'schoolboy' treatment - 19/09/2015 12:21
- S/Sudan: Int’l help reaching tanker blast survivors - 19/09/2015 09:45
- South Sudan: Death toll rises to 193 in fuel tanker explosion - 19/09/2015 05:50
- 183 dead in South Sudan tanker explosion, many suffering severe burns - 18/09/2015 14:53
Older news items
- Obama's Sudan Legacy: Justice and Restitution for the People of Sudan - 18/09/2015 06:20
- EU increases humanitarian aid to South Sudan - 18/09/2015 04:23
- At least 85 people are killed as they scoop up fuel from an overturned truck in South Sudan and someone lights a cigarette - 17/09/2015 17:32
- South Sudan oil tanker explosion kills scores - 17/09/2015 08:32
- S.Sudan helicopters attacked rebels: ceasefire monitors - 17/09/2015 01:45
Latest news items (all categories):
- How Collo’s Selfish Education Negatively Affects Society - 17/05/2025 21:06
- Museveni Launches Regional Road Project Linking Uganda, South Sudan & Central African Republic - 17/05/2025 20:08
- AMECEA And SSSCBC Host Three-Day Constitution Review Workshop in South Sudan - 17/05/2025 20:03
- ‘Knives Are Out’ in South Sudan as Vice President Is Held in Detention - 17/05/2025 19:09
- UN Security Council Should Renew South Sudan Arms Embargo - 17/05/2025 19:03
Random articles (all categories):
- Let us mourn and forgive - 08/10/2012 00:30
- South Sudan: Unity government still faces challenges after two years - 24/02/2022 09:42
- DTM South Sudan: Wau PoC sites collective centres and Population Count (Data collection September 2019) - 24/10/2019 04:33
- DTM South Sudan: Biometric Registration - Malakal, PoC Site Upper Nile (Publication: July 2021) - 06/07/2021 02:27
- NILEPET signs a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with SUDAPET in Juba - 19/09/2022 06:48
Popular articles:
- Who is the darkest person in the world, according to Guinness World Record? - 25/10/2022 02:34 - Read 103134 times
- No oil in troubled waters - 25/03/2014 15:02 - Read 22646 times
- School exam results in South Sudan show decline - 01/04/2012 17:58 - Read 22093 times
- Top 10 weakest currency exchange rates in Africa in 2023 - 19/07/2023 00:24 - Read 21017 times
- NDSU student from South Sudan receives scholarship - In-Forum - 29/09/2012 01:44 - Read 19547 times