May 22nd 2018 (Nyamilepedia) – South Sudanese parties negotiating a possible peace deal between themselves have concluded the intra-South Sudanese dialogue, an initiative proposed by South Sudanese Church leaders for the parties to face-to-face negotiate and solve out their differences.
The South Sudanese parties, Opposition groups, political parties, South Sudan government and the civil society organizations, today recommitted themselves to the IGAD peace process promising to pave the way for compromise between themselves and the respect for the Cessation of Hostilities Agreement signed in December 2017 by signing a document this morning.
The parties will resume negotiation under the auspices of the IGAD today.
South Sudan descended into civil war in December 2013 after forces loyal to the country’s president, Salva Kiir Mayardiit and his then Governor of Northern Bahr Al-Ghazal State Gen. Paul Malong Awan went door-to-door in the capital Juba killing civilians belonging to the Nuer ethnic group sparking a nation-wide protests from top army generals from the Nuer leading to a civil war.
A peace agreement signed in August 2015 by President Kiir and rebel leader Riek Machar and negotiated under the auspices of the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) and the African Union (AU) in presence of Troika and other international observers collapsed in July 2016 following fighting at the presidential palace in Juba “J1” reportedly after President Kiir ordered a failed attempt to arrest the SPLM-IO leader Riek Machar.
Late last year, the IGAD decided to revive the peace agreement and had initiated a peace revival mechanism known as the High-Level Revitalization Forum (HLRF) to bring back to life the 2015 peace agreement. Peace talks in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa resumed on Thursday with little optimism as President Kiir said he is unwilling to accept the return of the country’s former first vice president and two armies both of whom are major opposition demands.
The IGAD has given the negotiating parties May 21st as the ultimatum to sign peace but it is still unclear what would be the consequences in case the warring parties do not meet the dateline.
