Addis Ababa (AFP) - Mediators trying to broker a peace deal for South Sudan issued a stinging rebuke Tuesday of the country's warring factions, accusing them of seeking military victory rather than a negotiated end to the civil war.
Mahboub Maalim, executive secretary of the East African IGAD bloc that is brokering the talks due to resume Tuesday, said both South Sudanese President Salva Kiir and rebel leader Riek Machar were "stupid" if they thought they could win on the battlefield.
The comments came just hours before Kiir and Machar, whose forces have been fighting it out for six months, were set to hold a rare face-to-face meeting in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa.
"Nobody else is to blame other than the parties themselves," Maalim told AFP.
"If we want to apportion blame it's theirs, I think sometimes they thought they could win on the ground militarily, something which is very stupid."
President Kiir and rebel leader Machar are expected to meet Tuesday, their first meeting in a month and only the second since the civil war began. Previous rounds of peace talks, however, have been repeatedly delayed.
[1]Young members of the South Sudan Democratic Movement/Army (SSDM/A) faction march in Gumuruk, Sudan o …
Delegates from both sides have been meeting in luxury hotels in the Ethiopian capital since January, but little or no progress has been made with both sides bickering over the agenda and even the venue of discussions.
A ceasefire deal signed by Kiir and Machar on May 9 has been repeatedly violated, deepening the crisis in the young nation which has already killed thousands and forced more than 1.3 million people from their homes.
Ethiopian Foreign Minister Tedros Adhanom said both sides were guilty of ceasefire violations.
"The security situation is in a fragile state... if this dire situation in this young nation is not addressed urgently, it's inevitable that it will cause an untold catastrophic situation," he told reporters.
Maalim said the latest round of talks will deal with concrete issues including addressing violations of the ceasefire and ensuring humanitarian access, and that regional mediators would be taking a far tougher line.
"It will be much more tangible, much more concrete, and... much tougher than it has been," he said. "This is something that must come to an end, there is no two ways about it."
- Politics & Government
- Foreign Policy
- Riek Machar
- South Sudan
References
- ^ Young members of the South Sudan Democratic Movement/Army … (news.yahoo.com)
Source http://news.yahoo.com/south-sudan-rivals-warmongers-mediators-000428502.html
Newer articles:
- East African bloc threatens South Sudan's feuding sides with sanctions - 11/06/2014 02:06
- S.Sudan warring leaders agree deadline for new govt: Ethiopian PM - 10/06/2014 20:57
- S.Sudan leaders meet, agree deadline for transitional govt - 10/06/2014 20:47
- South Sudan: UN site in Malakal offers protection to civilians - 10/06/2014 08:06
- South Sudan reports nearly 1,500 cholera cases: UN - 10/06/2014 06:00
Older news items
- Escaping South Sudan's Violence Means Tolerating Hunger - 09/06/2014 13:59
- S.Sudan leader set to meet rebel chief for peace talks - 09/06/2014 13:03
- Baptists respond to plight of South Sudanese refugees - 09/06/2014 09:12
- South Sudan Unhappy With Rebel News Conference in Sudan - 08/06/2014 16:36
- Food costs soar as Sudan inflation hits 41.2 percent in May - 08/06/2014 15:33
Latest news items (all categories):
- The power struggles among South Sudan’s political leaders are the direct cause of its ongoing conflict - 11/07/2026 14:03
- Celebrating Independence In The Midst Of Sorrow - 11/07/2026 13:41
- South Sudan resumes oil-backed financing - 11/07/2026 13:33
- Press statement: Strive For National Unity In Honor Of South Sudan's Independence - 10/07/2026 21:23
- Fifteen years of independence for South Sudan, but still little to celebrate - 10/07/2026 21:23
Random articles (all categories):
- President Uhuru urges South Sudan leaders to consolidate peace dividends - 02/07/2019 01:44
- Embattled South Sudan president replaces army chief - 24/04/2014 14:34
- Officials rush to vaccinate 2,000 health workers in South Sudan amid fears killer Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo will spread - 29/01/2019 08:47
- South Sudan oil state capital divided, crude output down - 20/02/2014 13:54
- Water for South Sudan receives $10K grant - Penfield Post - 01/11/2012 14:01
Popular articles:
- Who is the darkest person in the world, according to Guinness World Record? - 25/10/2022 02:34 - Read 147789 times
- School exam results in South Sudan show decline - 01/04/2012 17:58 - Read 27849 times
- Top 10 weakest currency exchange rates in Africa in 2023 - 19/07/2023 00:24 - Read 24938 times
- No oil in troubled waters - 25/03/2014 15:02 - Read 24257 times
- NDSU student from South Sudan receives scholarship - In-Forum - 29/09/2012 01:44 - Read 22171 times
