January 19th 2020 (Nyamilepedia) – A faction of South Sudan Opposition Alliance (SSOA) led by Denay Chagor has accepted the South African proposal of arbitration on the dispute on the number and boundaries of states.
This comes a day after a rival faction led by Josephine Lagu rejected the proposal which would likely push the settlement of the issue beyond a February deadline in which the parties are expected to form what would be the Reconstituted Transitional Government of National Unity (R-TGoNU).
Several opposition groups including the SPLM-IO have rejected the South African proposal saying a unity government should not be formed unless the most contentious issue is settled to avoid a return to war.
In a statement this afternoon, the SSOA faction led by Denay Chagor – while expressing its profound concerns on slow peace implementation – said the South African proposal on the issue is genuine saying it would end the current impasse on the issue.
“The arbitration mechanism proposed by the Special Envoys to Republic of South Sudan as an instrument for resolving the impasse on the number of states and their boundaries is a genuine attempt by the IGAD to strike a deal with South Sudanese parties to the agreement,” the statement signed by Chagor himself partly reads.
“We in SSOA Main Faction welcome the initiative to establish an Arbitration Committee. This proposal deserves serious consideration by the parties to the agreement by analyzing its pros and cons with the aim of building the necessary consensus among the parties to the agreement,” the statement added.
The statement criticized opposition groups which have rejected the proposal saying it shouldn’t be rejected without studying the proposal.
“We are flexible to discuss any objective and constructive options that will move the implementation process forward. Throwing this proposal under the bus even before discussing it amounts to disregard for the suffering of innocent people of South Sudan,” the statement said.
The statement further urged other signatories to the revitalized peace agreement to “seriously engage the mediation on the arbitration proposal with the aim of improving and building consensus around it.”
