Include all armed groups South Sudan peace talks: ICG
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Elisabeth Janaina
Dec 29, 2014, 2:47:38 AM12/29/14
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Include all armed groups South Sudan peace talks: ICG
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December 26, 2014 (BOR) - The International Crisis Group (ICG) has
urged the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) to include
all inter-communal armed groups fighting in South Sudan in the ongoing
peace talks in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
PNG - 199.9 kb
Rebel fighters aligned with former vice-president Riek Machar gather
in a village in South Sudan’s Upper Nile state on 8 February 2014
(Photo: Goran Tomasevic/Reuters)
In a report published on 22 December, ICG said a combustible mix of
armed political opposition, violent ethnic militias and dysfunctional
political system were part of the tinder that led to eruption of
violent conflict in South Sudan last year.
According to the report, the war could intensity in coming weeks,
despite 11 months of talks, mediated by the East African regional
bloc.
“The negotiations do not reflect the diversity of armed groups and
interests in South Sudan and the region, most of which are nominally
allied with either President Salva Kiir’s government or former Vice
President Riek Machar’s Sudan Peoples’ Liberation Movement/Army-In
Opposition (SPLM/A-IO”, partly reads the report.
“The constellation of regional and South Sudanese armed groups in
Jonglei is emblematic of the regional, national and local challenges
to peace and the pattern of a war that cannot be resolved by engaging
only two of the nearly two-dozen armed groups in the country and
ignoring those that have not yet engaged in the fight”, it adds.
Majority of the armed groups, ICG argued, operate differently from
those loyal to president Salva Kiir or the armed opposition led by
former vice-president, Riek Machar and do not necessarily support the
peace process, creating a chaotic environment on the ground.
“Most of these groups are not fighting for control of the government
in Juba and some of their conflicts are best resolved at the state or
local level,” notes the report.
“Yet if they are ignored, the main protagonists will use these groups
to continue the fight and derail national peace efforts”, it adds.
The fighting in Jonglei, ICG said, represents more continuity than
change with past decades, and its deep roots are similar to those
across the country. Now, much of the state is reportedly under the
control of the SPLM/A-IO and the Murle South Sudan Democratic
Army-Cobra Faction (SSDA-CF), which has made a peace deal with the
government, but the majority of whose fighters are not integrated into
the Sudan Peoples’ Liberation Army (SPLA), while the SPLA and the
Uganda People’s Defence Force (UPDF), secure the government’s control
over the rest.
“No one’s territory is stable”, says the report, adding “civilians are
displaced and starving and a return to fighting is all but
guaranteed”.
More inclusive talks, focused in reforms within the ruling party, will
reportedly play fundamental roles in ending the ongoing conflict.
“IGAD’s emphasis on brokering a deal between Kiir and Machar neglects
the diversity of armed interests and may lead to a peace deal that
enjoys little support on the ground. While the government has the
upper hand militarily, increasing repression in Juba, interminable
rebellion in the bush and cities of Greater Upper Nile and continuing
regional interference point to a turbulent future,” it says.
IGAD, the report further says, could reinforce its political presence
in the ongoing talks, addition to its monitoring and verification
teams.
“Monitoring and verification teams could become more responsive to
ongoing violations and increase monitoring in areas not yet in
conflict but that remain at risk,” ICG said.
Tens of thousands of people have died and nearly two million displaced
since violence broke out in the young nation last year. Already, aid
agencies anticipate that more than 2.5 million people could face
starvation early next year, should conflict continue.
(ST)
Article
Comments (1)
email Email
print Print
pdfSave
separation
increase
decrease
separation
separation
myspace
buzzyahoo
December 26, 2014 (BOR) - The International Crisis Group (ICG) has
urged the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) to include
all inter-communal armed groups fighting in South Sudan in the ongoing
peace talks in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
PNG - 199.9 kb
Rebel fighters aligned with former vice-president Riek Machar gather
in a village in South Sudan’s Upper Nile state on 8 February 2014
(Photo: Goran Tomasevic/Reuters)
In a report published on 22 December, ICG said a combustible mix of
armed political opposition, violent ethnic militias and dysfunctional
political system were part of the tinder that led to eruption of
violent conflict in South Sudan last year.
According to the report, the war could intensity in coming weeks,
despite 11 months of talks, mediated by the East African regional
bloc.
“The negotiations do not reflect the diversity of armed groups and
interests in South Sudan and the region, most of which are nominally
allied with either President Salva Kiir’s government or former Vice
President Riek Machar’s Sudan Peoples’ Liberation Movement/Army-In
Opposition (SPLM/A-IO”, partly reads the report.
“The constellation of regional and South Sudanese armed groups in
Jonglei is emblematic of the regional, national and local challenges
to peace and the pattern of a war that cannot be resolved by engaging
only two of the nearly two-dozen armed groups in the country and
ignoring those that have not yet engaged in the fight”, it adds.
Majority of the armed groups, ICG argued, operate differently from
those loyal to president Salva Kiir or the armed opposition led by
former vice-president, Riek Machar and do not necessarily support the
peace process, creating a chaotic environment on the ground.
“Most of these groups are not fighting for control of the government
in Juba and some of their conflicts are best resolved at the state or
local level,” notes the report.
“Yet if they are ignored, the main protagonists will use these groups
to continue the fight and derail national peace efforts”, it adds.
The fighting in Jonglei, ICG said, represents more continuity than
change with past decades, and its deep roots are similar to those
across the country. Now, much of the state is reportedly under the
control of the SPLM/A-IO and the Murle South Sudan Democratic
Army-Cobra Faction (SSDA-CF), which has made a peace deal with the
government, but the majority of whose fighters are not integrated into
the Sudan Peoples’ Liberation Army (SPLA), while the SPLA and the
Uganda People’s Defence Force (UPDF), secure the government’s control
over the rest.
“No one’s territory is stable”, says the report, adding “civilians are
displaced and starving and a return to fighting is all but
guaranteed”.
More inclusive talks, focused in reforms within the ruling party, will
reportedly play fundamental roles in ending the ongoing conflict.
“IGAD’s emphasis on brokering a deal between Kiir and Machar neglects
the diversity of armed interests and may lead to a peace deal that
enjoys little support on the ground. While the government has the
upper hand militarily, increasing repression in Juba, interminable
rebellion in the bush and cities of Greater Upper Nile and continuing
regional interference point to a turbulent future,” it says.
IGAD, the report further says, could reinforce its political presence
in the ongoing talks, addition to its monitoring and verification
teams.
“Monitoring and verification teams could become more responsive to
ongoing violations and increase monitoring in areas not yet in
conflict but that remain at risk,” ICG said.
Tens of thousands of people have died and nearly two million displaced
since violence broke out in the young nation last year. Already, aid
agencies anticipate that more than 2.5 million people could face
starvation early next year, should conflict continue.
(ST)
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