South Sudan Rivals Agree To Form Transitional Govt

South Sudanese President Salva Kiir and his political rival Riek Machar on Tuesday agreed to form a transitional government in a bid to end the six-month long civil war that has killed thousands and displaced millions more, said Ethiopian Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn.

“They agreed to complete the dialogue process within the coming 60 days on what how, when and who… (for) the formation of the transitional government,” said Desalegn after a rare face-to-face meeting between Kiir and Machar, and regional leaders.

This was the second time Kiir and Machar met since the fighting broke out in December last year when an attempted coup d’état triggered a wave of violence in Africa’s youngest nation. Kiir accused Machar of initiating the failed coup, but Machar denied the claim, and said Kiir was using this incident to persecute his rivals.

“Any attempt to stand in the way of peace will have consequences,” added Desalegn, referring to mediators fed up with previous failed attempts at ending the violence.

Desalegn said both leaders agreed to “fully commit themselves to already signed agreements,” and said that if the two fail to abide by these agreements, the Inter-Governmental Authority on Development (IGAD) in the East African bloc will impose sanctions against them.

According to the United States envoy to South Sudan, Donald Booth, these latest talks were the “best chance for the warring parties to prove their commitment to holding their nation and their people together.”

“The time for military action to change the status quo on the ground has passed. It’s time now to move forward,” he added.

IGAD executive secretary, Mahboub Maalim, meanwhile said the political enemies were “stupid” if they thought they could win on the battlefield.

“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,” he said.

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