Rights body urges S. Sudan’s warring parties on power sharing

October 11, 2017 (JUBA) - The Centre for Peace and Justice (CPJ) has urged on South Sudan’s warring parties not to focus on power sharing and division of wealth during the forthcoming peace revitalization forum being organized by the regional bloc (IGAD).

President Salva Kiir (L) and rebel leader Riek Machar (R) attend the signing a ceasefire agreement during an IGAD summit on the South Sudan crisis in Addis Ababa on 1 February 2015 (Photo: Reuters/Tiksa Negeri)

Consultations, IGAD said, will take place from 13-17 October.

However, the CPJ coordinator, Tito Anthony said focusing on power sharing will drive the discussion from solving the country’s conflict to fulfilling interests of parties who may be interested in ministerial posts.

“If the discussion of upcoming revitalization forum will focus on power sharing, the agreement will not be reached soon to end the suffering on civil population as hundreds are dying on a daily basis by diseases, hunger and others being targeted killed by the two [warring] parties,” Tito said in a statement issued on Wednesday.

The official appealed to parties to be consulted by IGAD to reflect on the suffering of the civilian population in who live in the internally displaced camps and those sheltered at the United Nations bases.

“The citizens, who voted for independence of South Sudan, are now suffering as if the independent has been a curse,” stressed Tito.

He further added, “[South Sudanese] leaders should think about people not their interest, let them end the conflict and citizens will now chose because they now knew the true color of all politician. They will choose leaders out of experiences they had in the conflict”.

The CPJ official said it time for leaders to sacrifice themselves for the people of South Sudan during the upcoming revitalization forum to pave way for peace in a nation where tens of thousands have died.

“I urge the IGAD to stand firm in the process and guide the parties in the discussion because IGAD is entity that setting the agenda, approach the discussion from the soft to harder,” he further stated.

In June, a summit of IGAD heads of state and government decided to convene a meeting of the signatories of the South Sudan peace agreement to discuss ways to revitalize the peace implementation.

During the June summit, it was agreed that all groups be included in the discussion aimed at restoring a permanent ceasefire.

IGAD is an eight-member economic bloc that brings together Ethiopia, Djibouti, Somalia, Sudan, Eritrea, South Sudan, Kenya and Uganda.

Over a million people have fled South Sudan since conflict erupted in December 2013 when President Salva Kiir sacked Machar from the vice-presidency. Tens of thousands of people have been killed and nearly two million displaced in South Sudan’s worst ever violence since it seceded from Sudan in 2011.

(ST)