South Sudan: Playing for Time in the Peace Process

The Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) mediation process in South Sudan hit another hurdle when talks that were meant to resume on 22 June 2014 were adjourned indefinitely.

This followed on objections from the Sudan People's Liberation Movement in Opposition (SPLM in Opposition) over the inclusion of civil society groups in the peace process.

The two main protagonists in the conflict - the SPLM in Opposition and the government of South Sudan - claim to be committed to peaceful resolution, but since the mediation process began, both parties seem to have made every effort to scuttle the process, hoping that they can gain an advantage.

The issue of inclusivity has dogged the IGAD mediation process from the very beginning. At one stage, the South Sudan government objected to the participation of the released SPLM detainees.

Nevertheless, the IGAD mediators have come to observe that the issue of inclusivity is 'a natural and logical idea.' The need for inclusivity of key stakeholders, the IGAD mediation team added, 'emanates from the fact that the current crisis has transformed from a dispute within the SPLM to a national crisis affecting a number of stakeholders.'

The 9 May 2014 Agreement to Resolve the Crisis in South Sudan defined the main stakeholders as the government of South Sudan, the SPLM in Opposition, SPLM leaders (former detainees), faith-based organisations, civil society and political parties.

Although President Salva Kiir alleged that he signed the agreement under duress^[1] following threats of arrest by Ethiopian Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn, the agreement seemed to have settled the issue of inclusivity in the process. Or did it?

To accommodate the expanded stakeholders in the process, the IGAD mediation team organised a multi-stakeholder symposium in Addis Ababa on 6 - 7 June 2014.

The main conclusion was that for peace to prevail, the guns must be silenced. After the symposium, while the civil society organisations had nominated their representatives, they failed to agree on who should actually participate in the talks.

The SPLM in Opposition is using this to object to civil society organisations' participation in the process. On the other hand, the government of South Sudan also boycotted the opening of the 22 June round of talks.

References

1. ^{^} signed the agreement under duress (www.telegraph.co.uk)