Juba (AFP) - South Sudan's cabinet on Friday postponed elections and extended President Salva Kiir's powers for two years, the information minister said, apparently sinking a peace agreement aimed to end 14 months of war.
"We have passed a resolution extending the tenure of the president and the parliament, including all elected positions," Information Minister Michael Makuei told AFP, after the decision was taken by the government's council of ministers to postpone elections until July 9, 2017.
That goes against a deal struck between Kiir and rebel chief Riek Machar earlier this month, in which they agreed to set up a transitional unity government in the bitterly divided nation to run for 30 months from July 9.
With the latest ceasefire is in tatters, diplomats say frustration is mounting that neither side is taking the peace efforts seriously to end a war in which tens of thousands have been slaughtered. The United Nations warn that 2.5 million people are on the brink of famine.
However, Makeui said the term extension "would give us a chance to negotiate without pressure."
Elections in the bitterly divided nation had been due before July 9 -- the end of the parliament and president's mandate under a provisional constitution -- but they were opposed by international donors and civil society groups who said it would be impossible to hold the vote in a nation riven by war.
Fighting broke out in December 2013 when Kiir accused Machar of attempting a coup, setting off a cycle of retaliatory killings across the country.
Over half the country's 12 million people need aid, according to the UN, which is also sheltering some 100,000 civilians trapped inside camps ringed with barbed wire, too terrified to venture out for fear of being killed.
The resolution must still be passed by parliament, but that now comprises almost entirely of lawmakers loyal to Kiir, with those loyal to Machar fighting or in exile.
Kiir and members of parliament were elected in April 2010, one year before the country split from former civil war enemies in north Sudan. Elections have never been held in South Sudan as an independent country.
Source http://news.yahoo.com/south-sudan-cabinet-postpones-vote-extends-presidents-term-155053531.html
Newer articles:
- Heavy fighting in South Sudan oil zones: defence minister - 17/02/2015 13:47
- S.Sudan bans journalists from interviewing rebels - 16/02/2015 19:23
- South Sudan's warring forces "recruiting children" - 16/02/2015 09:40
- South Sudan calls off elections, seeks to extend presidential term - government spokesman - 14/02/2015 11:25
- South Sudan extends President Kiir's term for two years - 14/02/2015 06:13
Older news items
- Uprooted South Sudanese fear the call to return home - 13/02/2015 14:11
- On World Radio Day, how one woman in South Sudan found her voice on air - 13/02/2015 13:58
- The price of war in South Sudan - 13/02/2015 00:32
- South Sudan: UNICEF celebrates ongoing demobilization of child soldiers - 11/02/2015 22:13
- Without pressure, business as usual for South Sudan's "bush" leaders - 11/02/2015 10:53
Latest news items (all categories):
- Hope for Christmas gift as South Sudan talks return to Nairobi - 05/12/2024 10:26
- Chinese medical team brings relief to South Sudan patients - 05/12/2024 10:18
- Sudanese bishop speaks about being brutalized by soldiers - 05/12/2024 10:08
- President Biden: Absent Principles - No Honoring Words - Broken Promises - 05/12/2024 09:55
- South Sudan’s ‘Game Of Thrones’ Continues – Analysis - 01/12/2024 17:47
Random articles (all categories):
- South Sudan hails ties with China amid 74th founding anniversary of PRC - 27/09/2023 08:04
- South Sudan: devastating flooding displaced thousands of people - 24/10/2019 09:59
- Kenyan Doctors Arrested After Fistfight On a Plane to Aweil - 17/03/2022 04:42
- South Sudan rebel leader says ready for talks with president - 23/12/2013 17:20
- As South Sudan's civil war rages, cholera takes deadly toll - 29/06/2017 11:20
Popular articles:
- Who is the darkest person in the world, according to Guinness World Record? - 25/10/2022 02:34 - Read 58608 times
- No oil in troubled waters - 25/03/2014 15:02 - Read 22220 times
- School exam results in South Sudan show decline - 01/04/2012 17:58 - Read 21368 times
- NDSU student from South Sudan receives scholarship - In-Forum - 29/09/2012 01:44 - Read 18900 times
- Top 10 weakest currency exchange rates in Africa in 2023 - 19/07/2023 00:24 - Read 18041 times