May 22nd 2018 (Nyamilepedia) – A senior government official said on Tuesday that he personally has no problem with the IGAD peace proposal and the return of the South Sudan’s former First Vice President, Dr. Riek Machar, the SPLM-IO leader, to the country as part of peace implementation.
The Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) on Tuesday unveiled a peace proposal that seek to share power between South Sudan’s warring parties negotiating a peace deal in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa.
The new peace proposal want South Sudan government under president Salva Kiir to have 55% of share, SPLM-IO under Riek Machar to have 25% and other political parties to have 20%.
The other political parties, according to IGAD proposal, are to divide their share as follow; The South Sudan Opposition Alliance 10%, SPLM-FDs under Pagan 5% and other political parties in the government to get 5%.
Kiir said last week that he would not accept any peace agreement that would guarantee the return of Riek Machar to the country on the basis of peace implementation but while speaking to the Nyamilepedia on Tuesday, a high-ranking government official said on the condition of anonymity that he personally agrees with the IGAD peace proposal as well as the return of the former first vice president to the country for the implementation of the peace agreement.
“Yes, if this should be the best method of conflict resolution from the IGAD; I have no problem for Machar to return home,” he told the Nyamilepedia.
The senior government official, however, said he doubt whether the peace would bring peace to the young African country pointing out that it has been imposed on the warring parties.
He believes that the warring parties are unwilling to accept it but forcefully imposed on them and will not implement it in spirit.
“But I doubt this structure or power sharing within the warring factions of SPLM will not prevent or resolve the conflict because it’s impose on them. No one is willing to accept another party,” he said.
The government official argues that the peace proposal do not address root causes saying the talks were dominant by the IGAD and that the warring parties feared for possible punishment by the regional body.
“Grievances (root causes) are not address also by the warring parties. What I know is that the talks were so dominant by the IGAD and the warring parties fear of direct aggression and punishment, that is the reason why they accept this proposal,” he said.
The government official said that it is obvious that the parties will disown the peace agreement upon return to their positions.
“But when they return to their positions, they will disown this document because they didn’t accept themselves from the beginning as south Sudanese,” the high-ranking official said.
It remains unclear what let to such a high-profile acceptance from the government ranks for a peace agreement that may guarantee the return of Machar to the country in contradiction to President Kiir’s position.
In August 2015, South Sudanese parties notably president Kiir, on behalf of South Sudan Government and Riek Machar on behalf of the SPLM-IO signed a peace agreement known as the Agreement for the Resolution of the Conflict in the Republic of South Sudan (ARCISS). While Machar signed the peace on schedule on August 17th, Mr.Kiir rejected it and said he need a two week break to consult his leadership in Juba.
Under intense regional and international pressure, Kiir signed the peace agreement on 26th August, 2015 but said he had reservations about the deal which he referred to as a “white man’s peace”.
In July 2016, peace deal collapsed after clashes at J1, the South Sudan’s presidential palac, and Kiir blamed “imposed peace” for the fighting that killed about 400 troops and civilian that day.
