April 28th, 2018(Nyamilepedia) —- Speaking at Mo Ibrahim Foundation, the former Prime Minister of the Federal Republic of Ethiopia, Hailemariam Desalegn Boshe, called on South Sudan’s President, Salva Kiir, who is struggling to maintain power, to quit politics and give others a chance.
Desalegn, who came to power in 2012, barely one year before South Sudan conflict broke out, resigned earlier this year to preserve peace and stability in his country.
The Ex-premier told the Foundation that South Sudan’s problem is a “leadership failure” and to fix it President Salva Kiir would have to resign to give a new generation the chance to move the country forwards.
Mohammed “Mo” Ibrahim, a Sudanese-British billionaire businessman, founder and chairman of the Mo Ibrahim Foundation, asked the Ethiopian Ex-Primer of what he has been discussing with South Sudan war criminals for all these years.
“You have been talking to Salva Kiir, you have been talking to Riek Machar, in my views those guys are all criminals. Why talking to War Criminal” Asked Mo Ibrahim.
“Immediately after my resignation, I asked Salva Kiir to resign because he failed to resolve this problem in South Sudan” Desalegn said.
“In my view, I think it is a leadership failure and it should be solved accordingly otherwise we cannot have a sustainable solution in South Sudan” He added
“The people are demand seriously that this thing has to be resolved immediately. These people have suffered for more than half a century now” Desalegn said.
Adding to Desalegn’s emphases on South Sudanese suffering, Mo affirmed that there are more South Sudanese refugees today than during the civil war with the North.
They said many South Sudanese have returned to their bitter past of living in camps they tried to abandoned 13 years ago when a Comprehensive Peace Agreement was signed between the North and the current South Sudan leadership.
On his part, South Sudan President said he has NO motivation to restore peace and stability if the peace agreement will toss him out of power.
To president Salva Kiir, who spoke during a funeral of his ex-army chief of defense forces last week, he can only commit to bring peace if and only if he has been given assurance to remain in power.
During the funeral President Kiir wished he had killed all his political rivals when he had a chance in 2013 and 2016, a statement that has angered many South Sudanese politicians and intellectuals.
“I am not happy about what Kiir said. I am sorry because we have such a president in South Sudan. I am sorry” Said Rebecca Nyandeng de Mabior, the widow of SPLM/A founder, Dr. John Garang de Mabior.
“I was always more hopeful that peace meant more to our leaders than power. I didn’t think peace was all about my cousin, the president. For some delusional reasons, it seemed to me that a peace deal was about saving lives, sparing our resources and building our country. But I guess I was mistaken to think that peace is about us all, not about the political seat of an individual.” Said Dr. Jock Madut Jock, co-founder of Sudd Institute.
The former Prime Minister was speaking to Mo Ibrahim, the former owner of Celtel and many other telecommunication firms in Africa.
Ibrahim initiated Mo Ibrahim Prize for Achievement in African Leadership in 2007, which awards a $5 million initial payment, and a $200,000 annual payment for life to African heads of state who deliver security, health, education and economic development to their constituents and democratically transfer power to their successors.
The Ex-Prime Minister, who has initiated and completed mega projects during his six years term stands a chance to win the Mo Ibrahim Prize for Achievement. Desalegn has built a railway line in his country, led the regional bloc IGAD, overseen building of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD or Taehige) – which has been under construction since 2011 – and improve Ethiopian Airlines which acquired at least six 787-8 Dreamliners Boeing in 2015.
On the other hand, Desalegn has a tainted legacy on security and stability of his country and the region, especially for failing to resolve South Sudan conflict under his leadership.
South Sudan’s embattled president, Mr. Salva Kiir Mayardit, has been signaled by many leaders including Trump Administration, members of oppositions and his suffering masses to leave power but he says he “has no incentive” to bring peace and resigns.
