Makuei threatens to sideline Former Detainees and SSOA in peace implementation

July 27th 2018 (Nyamilepedia) – South Sudan’s information minister and government spokesman Michael Makuei Lueth has threatened that his government and the SPLM-IO under Dr. Machar will implement the peace agreement without the FDs and SSOA.

Makuei’s comment followed a signing of the preliminary agreement by his government and the SPLM-IO under the former FVP Dr. Riek Machar in the Sudanese capital Khartoum on Thursday.

The SPLM-FDs and the South Sudan Opposition Alliance rejected to sign the agreement citing claims that it does not address their grievances and as such is a recipe for a future conflict in the young African nation.

In a statement to the journalist after the signing on Thursday, Makuei said the government and the SPLM-IO will continue without the two groups as he reiterates his government’ commitment to implement the agreement both in letter and spirit.

“We will continue without them if they don’t join. The way forward is that we are implementing the agreement in letter and spirit. Anybody who has abstained these are non-essentials and they will have to join,” Makuei told journalists in Soba after the signing ceremony.

He said although the FDs and the SSOA are included in the talks, it is the SPLM-IO and the government who are fighting and that the war will end with the warring groups signing the agreement.

“It is us who are fighting and if we signed the agreement, then the war has definitely ended,” he said.

He further  urged the holdout groups to come and join the peace agreement citing the suffering of the people of South Sudan saying the people of South Sudan are in dire need of peace to end the ongoing civil war.

“We want peace for our people. I appeal to anybody who has abstained. I appeal to him or to her to join the people of South Sudan in this peace process.” he further said.