April 20th 2018 (Nyamilepedia) – South Sudan government threatened on Friday to extend the term of the Transitional Government of National Unity (TGoNU) should the expected round of peace talks with opposition groups due in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa next month fail to yield fruits.
Speaking to reporters after meeting an African Union Peace and Security Council (AUPSC) at the State House on Wednesday, Martin Elia Lomuro, South Sudan’s Minister of Cabinet Affairs, said all parties to the High-Level Revitalization Forum (HLRF) should focus on the objectives of the talks urging mediators to come up with a proposals in the next round of the talks threatening promising that the Transitional Government of National Unity will renew its mandate should the next round fail to bear results.
“Failure to achieve peace, we will have to renew the mandate of the government. We cannot leave this government without a mandate. This is about national security, this is about sovereignty of the country and the interest of the people of South Sudan,” Lomuro said.
For his part, the AUPSC chair and the Nigerian’s Permanent Representative to the African Union Bankole Adeove said the talks are the best option for peace in South Sudan and they fully support the process.
“What is most important is there is one African Union and that includes all the IGAD members. There is no plan B for us at this stage. The only plan we have for is this is the best window of peace and that best window must be explored to the best. The African Union supports the current process and the African Union is fully behind the IGAD process and with that Africa we cannot plan for a failure he said.
The delegation, which is of 15 members, was led by the Chair Adeoye and other members from 14 countries.
