South Sudan cabinet minister leads government revitalization team

December 17, 2017 (JUBA) - South Sudan’s coalition government has dispatched a team led by the cabinet affairs minister to the revitalization forum, sparking debate about its commitment to participating in a good faith in the IGAD brokered peace process.

Minister Martin Elia Lomuro, according to the government spokesman and the minister of information, Michael Makuei Lueth, was nominated by the cabinet of the transitional government of national at its regular meeting chaired by President Salva Kiir last Friday.

Lomuro, according to minister Lueth, has the full backing of the whole government and was going to participate in the forum with an open mind and in good faith on behalf of the unity government.

The appointment of Minister Lomuro as the lead representative of the government has received mixed reactions from the public with government critics and peace advocates expressing doubts about the sincerity with which the government wants to participate in the revitalization forum.

Many believe Lomuro was one of the hardliners and those wanting to push through the government views and agenda in every process as a way to preserve the current status quo. Also, analysts and observers are keen to underline Lomuro has always been a pipe through which government views are expressed in order to paint a different picture of other political parties and forces in the country upon which the government would capitalize, using it as the position and voice of other political parties.

This appointment follows a statement by the UN Security Council in which it urged all parties engaging in the revitalization of the 2015 peace agreement to agree on strong monitoring and enforcement mechanisms that will ensure cost and consequences for those who violate the agreement.

The Security Council on Thursday endorsed the IGAD (Intergovernmental Authority on Development) -led High-Level Revitalization Forum which will kick off on Monday 18 December.

The 15-member body acknowledged that the conflict in South Sudan continues to cause great suffering and expressed deep regret that the parties had not heeded its calls for a permanent ceasefire.

"We would like to see the parties avoid these consequences by engaging with the IGAD revitalization,” said Matthew Rycroft, the Permanent Representative of the United Kingdom to the UN.

“If they fail to do that, then the consequences we are talking about are either imposing an arms embargo and or introducing targeted sanctions. “The Council urged all parties to engage constructively in the process without preconditions and end hostilities as they had pledged.

Referring to a briefing received from IGAD Special Envoy Ismail Wais on pre Forum consultations, the Council also urged the parties to agree to an implementation timeline, monitored arrangements to stop the conflict and a political process with an agreed path to viable elections.

(ST)