February 6, 2014 [CCTV] — South Sudan’s government has criticized the Intergovernmental Authority for Development for what it describes as a violation of last month’s ceasefire agreement with rebels loyal to sacked vice-president Riek Machar.
On Wednesday, South Sudan’s Information Minister said, contrary to the agreement signed in Addis Ababa, the government had not been included in IGAD’s Joint Technical Committee. Meanwhile the government has laid down a set of demands to former Vice President Riek Machar ahead of next week’s talks. A presidential spokesperson told journalists in Kampala that Machar must first denounce rebellion before any negotiations can proceed.
“We don’t want IGAD to be in violation with of our cessation of hostilities. In the first place you are in violation of the provisions of cessation of hostilities, the JTC is not set up and we are supposed to party to the JTC and if there is any advance team that comes here that advance team must include us. And as we in the republic of South Sudan we don’t agree with what IGAD has done,” S Sudan’s Information Minister Michael Makuei Lueth said.
“We signed the cessation of hostilities with a movement called South Sudan Army Liberation but the new organization, I don’t know how they relate, whether Riek is the head of these two companies or he should educate us on who we should negotiate with, we signed with different person and a different body was formed,” said Ateny Wek Ateny, spokesperson of South Sudan presidency.
