South Sudanese civil society groups called on the government and opposition Wednesday to engage in meaningful talks to bring peace to South Sudan after the government failed to show up for the negotiations for a sixth day.
"Let them think about the children suffering now in IDP camps, how women are suffering, giving birth to babies in places that are not really healthy for babies," said Angelina Daniel, a member of the End Impunity Organization (EIO) that is calling on both sides to return to the negotiating table.
The government delegation has not shown up for peace talks in Addis Ababa, brokered by the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), since last week.
The government said they want the opposition to agree to a matrix outlining how the cessation of hostilities agreement is implemented before it joins the latest session of peace talks. The cessation of hostilities agreement was signed by both parties in January but has been repeatedly violated since then.
When the conflict began in December, the government insisted it would not take part in negotiations if the opposition set pre-conditions for the talks.
Before the January talks got under way, the opposition demanded the release of 11 high-ranking politicians who were detained when fighting broke out in Juba on Dec. 15. The opposition has since then made other demands, including the withdrawal of Ugandan troops who are fighting alongside government forces in South Sudan.
Both sides have repeatedly accused each other of violating the January cessation of hostilities agreement and stalling the peace process.
Boycott delays peace process
Daniel said boycotting the peace talks and insisting that the other side should sign yet another paper was an unnecessary waste of time and was delaying the peace process.
"We don't need papers to sign, we need something to be done on the ground," she said.
"We say please, please, our government, feel our pain. Hear our voices... our brothers, sisters and dear sons and daughters are suffering," she said.
The priority of all participants at the talks in Addis Ababa, said Daniel, should be to try to avoid famine in South Sudan and to improve the dire conditions in which hundreds of thousands of displaced persons are living.
Frustrated by slow-moving talks
Catherine Pita, a member of the South Sudan's Women's Platform for Peace, said she was hopeful when the current fifth round of much-delayed peace talks got under way two weeks ago, but her hope turned to disbelief and frustration as the government refuses to take part.
"I think it is a very outrageous thing to hear that the peace talks are not going on in Addis," Pita said, "because we know very well how much (suffering) this conflict has already caused in the country.
"We hope and we are praying that the stakeholders go back to the table to dialogue for peace."
Pita recalled that President Salva Kiir promised on his return from the U.S.-Africa summit in Washington this month that his government will restore peace to South Sudan.
"I am just asking the government to consider the promise they have given to South Sudanese so that they go back to the table and discuss this peace," she said.
"I am urging our government and the opposition and all the stakeholders -- the U.N., IGAD -- to do all that is in their power, to sit down and make sure that peace comes to South Sudan," for the good of the South Sudanese people, she said.
Some four million South Sudanese are food insecure because of the eight-month conflict, and around 1.5 million have been forced from their homes by the fighting. U.N. agencies have warned that famine could hit the country unless the unrest stops soon.
Source http://allafrica.com/stories/201408221487.html
Newer articles:
- South Sudan ceasefire monitor dies after officials held by rebels - 24/08/2014 16:38
- DETAILS REVEALED ABOUT SOUTH SUDAN OPERATION - 24/08/2014 15:02
- To South Sudan’s woes, add famine — 50,000 kids at risk of death - 24/08/2014 13:00
- South Sudan: U.S Ambassador Prepares 'Bittersweet' Departure From South Sudan - 24/08/2014 12:00
- South Sudan: Ethnic Militias and the Shrinking State - 22/08/2014 15:51
Older news items
- South Sudan rebels accept presence of Ugandan troops to keep peace - 22/08/2014 09:23
- South Sudan: UN Mission Condemns Bentiu Clashes - 22/08/2014 04:15
- Q&A - South Sudan: A nation awash with arms - 21/08/2014 20:45
- South Sudan: Does South Sudan's Peace Process Face Collapse? - 21/08/2014 16:57
- South Sudan: War Veterans Planting for Peace - 21/08/2014 16:56
Latest news items (all categories):
- MTN South Sudan Launches eSIM Technology in a National First - 14/01/2025 16:34
- U.A.E : MoFA receives credentials copy from new Ambassador of Republic of South Sudan - 14/01/2025 16:31
- Helping a lost generation: food security and animal health in South Sudan - 14/01/2025 15:20
- ديمقراطية وحرية إستخفاف العقول - 14/01/2025 15:04
- [Audio] South Sudan holdout groups form alliance - 10/01/2025 14:12
Random articles (all categories):
- Anti-African street violence surges in Israel - The Daily Star - 24/05/2012 10:11
- S.Sudan accuses Khartoum of 'enslaving' thousands - 09/03/2012 16:40
- Sudan says Israelis hit military factory - San Francisco Chronicle - 25/10/2012 02:46
- South Sudan battle against insurgents kills 163 - The Guardian - 28/03/2013 19:22
- POLITICAL TORPEDO HITS SPLM HULK. - 19/04/2010 16:44
Popular articles:
- Who is the darkest person in the world, according to Guinness World Record? - 25/10/2022 02:34 - Read 61388 times
- No oil in troubled waters - 25/03/2014 15:02 - Read 22303 times
- School exam results in South Sudan show decline - 01/04/2012 17:58 - Read 21488 times
- NDSU student from South Sudan receives scholarship - In-Forum - 29/09/2012 01:44 - Read 19048 times
- Top 10 weakest currency exchange rates in Africa in 2023 - 19/07/2023 00:24 - Read 18757 times