interview By Fred Muvunyi
Political analysts say the peace deal in South Sudan will not see the light of day if the root cause of a two-year civil war is not addressed. Lack of trust among rivals remains a stumbling block.
Riek Machar will return to Juba to take up the position of vice president, a post from which he was sacked in 2013.
That is what was agreed in the power-sharing deal on Friday (08.01.2016). Machar however still has to travel to the capital to take up his position. No timeline was given for when the new cabinet would be named. Peter Schumann, the former director of the UN mission in southern Sudan spoke to DW.
DW: Could this be a new era for South Sudan now that Salva Kiir has agreed to share power with his arch nemesis Riek Machar?
Peter Schumann: We now have an understanding of who will take which ministry and who will perform which function in this transitional government of the national unity. I think it is a formality. It is the outcome of the agreement on the cessation of hostilities. Politically, I don't think a lot has changed. There is no resolution of the underlying causes of outbreak of the violence in December 2013. The SPLM remains deeply divided, the scheduled convention is due to take place in these coming days. According to my information, this convention will not be attended by Riek Machar or Pagan Amum or others from the opposition. So, I'm very sceptical. In my view this agreement on who takes which ministry is a result of external pressure but not a result of an internal political process or a sense that the war should stop.
How easy is it going to be for Kiir and Machar to work together for the sake of peace and development in South Sudan?
I don't see a fair chance of this happening. If you look at the list of the ministries, the government will retain 16 ministries, the SPLM in the opposition will take 10 ministries, the former detainees take two and two other ministries will be given to other political parties. Now, a government with thirty ministers on such shaky ground where there is no trust between the protagonists can simply not work. If I look at the list of the ministries, there is so much overlap, that you cannot really define the responsibilities of each ministry. This government is not going to be able to deliver services, in particular security and safety for the people of South Sudan.
The rebels got key ministerial posts including oil, foreign and humanitarian affairs, while the government got posts including defense, national security, finance and justice. Is this fair?
It is not a fair deal for the people of South Sudan, because they are excluded from the entire deal making. Salva Kiir has appointed an additional 50 lawmakers. They should have been appointed through a more transparent process. An option would have been a lot of negotiations, a lot more deal-making, a lot more trust-building between these different groups, instead of this massive external pressure. We have seen in the past that this peace will not last.
The government in Juba is not happy that Machar wants to maintain his army and doesn't want to come to Juba. Isn't this a hindrance to the peace deal itself?
This is an indicator of lack of trust, neither Riek Machar, Pagan Amum nor Salva Kiir or any other players really trust each other,. They know that they had to come to an agreement because of the external pressure but they do not trust each other. Therefore they will all insist on maintaining some form of fighting capacity which simply means they all calculate that the eruption of violence is an option.
How long do you think the two should start working together to avoid an outright war?
I don't have a recipe, I can only observe and analyze. It is very difficult to provide another recipe. To me a resolution lies in a much broader participation and respect for civil society in South Sudan.
Assuming that these ministries will be filled with ministers and deputy ministers, they will all try to benefit as much as possible from public properties, from revenues and they will try to satisfy their followers. So there will be very little left for general population. The state will continue to be robbed.
Peter Schumann is a former UN coordinator in southern Sudan.
Newer articles:
- 10 die in South Sudan hospital due to fuel scarcity - 10/01/2016 08:28
- Thousands flee S.Sudan war despite political peace efforts - 10/01/2016 03:58
- Civilians flee violence in Sudan - 09/01/2016 11:36
- South Sudan: Forming an Interim Goverment - 09/01/2016 09:54
- South Sudan: Rebels Not Satisfied With Power-Sharing Deal, but Accept It, Says Spokesman - 09/01/2016 05:46
Older news items
- Thousands of civilians flee violence in South Sudan state - 09/01/2016 02:37
- South Sudan’s lead opposition party SPLM-DC changes name - 08/01/2016 14:27
- S.Sudan president apologises for 'unbearable suffering' of war - 08/01/2016 11:06
- South Sudan’s peace deal implementation in progress-Ministry - 08/01/2016 09:41
- Growing insecurity triggers new displacement in and from S .Sudan, says UN - 08/01/2016 09:38
Latest news items (all categories):
- South Sudan needs ‘civic education’ before elections, says bishop - 16/01/2025 16:42
- South Sudan parties set to resume peace talks in Kenya - 16/01/2025 16:39
- Abandoned but not forgotten – the invisible crisis in South Sudan - 16/01/2025 16:35
- The SAF has committed barbaric atrocities against South Sudanese refugees in Wad Medani - 16/01/2025 16:27
- Syria 2025: The historical Syrian project: From revolution to a modern inclusive civil state - 16/01/2025 16:10
Random articles (all categories):
- Mabany brothers find refuge at Denver South after escaping turmoil in Sudan - Denver Post - 02/12/2012 09:35
- Activists Urge IGAD, AU to Pressure South Sudan's Warring Parties - 21/02/2018 14:59
- South Sudan gov't Twitter feed: No vote next year - 12/05/2014 16:44
- Joint press release: AUMISS, IGAD and UNMISS urge consensus-driven decision-making, communication on peace and electoral processes in South Sudan - 11/07/2024 13:59
- South Sudan official allays fears of Ebola outbreak - 08/07/2019 05:39
Popular articles:
- Who is the darkest person in the world, according to Guinness World Record? - 25/10/2022 02:34 - Read 61792 times
- No oil in troubled waters - 25/03/2014 15:02 - Read 22309 times
- School exam results in South Sudan show decline - 01/04/2012 17:58 - Read 21498 times
- NDSU student from South Sudan receives scholarship - In-Forum - 29/09/2012 01:44 - Read 19065 times
- Top 10 weakest currency exchange rates in Africa in 2023 - 19/07/2023 00:24 - Read 18830 times