Friday, April 22, 2016

South Sudan Peace Talks Imperiled by New Squabbles

South Sudan Peace Talks Imperiled by New Squabbles - The New York Times: "South Sudan Peace Talks Imperiled by New Squabbles
By JACEY FORTINAPRIL 21, 2016
Continue reading the main storyShare This Page
Share
Tweet
Email
More
Save
GAMBELLA, Ethiopia — A long-awaited peace deal to end the civil war in South Sudan that has killed tens of thousands is being imperiled again, this time mainly by squabbles over how many weapons and soldiers the opposition can bring with it to the capital.

The opposition leader, Riek Machar, was scheduled to fly to the capital, Juba, on Monday this week to be reinstated as vice president and form a transitional government with his rival, President Salva Kiir. His return is seen as crucial to ending the war that has torn apart the young country.

Although both sides continue to promise to adhere to the peace process that began with direct talks in January 2014, analysts say the delays this week make clear how difficult the attempts to end the war remain.

South Sudan won its independence from its northern neighbor, Sudan, with a referendum in 2011 and amid much jubilation.

But the thrill did not last long. Mr. Machar has not set foot in Juba since he fled the city after violent clashes there in December 2013. Since then, fighting has raged across the country, largely along ethnic lines, pitting supporters of Mr. Machar, a Nuer, against troops loyal to Mr. Kiir, a Dinka.

About 50,000 people have died in the violence, and more than two million people have been displaced. The war’s horrors have included mass rape, civilian massacres and killings at hospitals.

The plan to reinstate Mr. Machar ran into trouble early this week, when opposition representatives first said they had not received the needed permits to fly to the capital. There were also disagreements over the number of troops allowed to travel with opposition leaders; the two sides settled on 195 soldiers on Wednesday.

Since then, the two sides have remained at odds over the number and types of weapons the soldiers can take with them. Among their arsenal are 20 rocket-propelled-grenade launchers.

International partners set a deadline of Saturday for Mr. Machar to travel to Juba, an opposition spokesman, Nyarji Roman, said. “So basically we have tonight and tomorrow to reach an agreement on the issue of the weapons.”

Both sides have been pressured to adhere to the schedule. The United Nations secretary general, Ban Ki-moon, made phone calls to Mr. Kiir and Mr. Machar over the weekend, urging both to work quickly to form a transitional government.

Opposition representatives say they still hope to arrange for Machar’s trip to Juba this week. As the talks over Mr. Machar’s return dragged on, his security contingent of more than 200 soldiers remained in an airport parking lot in Ethiopia, waiting for a flight to their country.

The troops have been sleeping under open skies by night and enduring the blazing heat by day, jockeying for places to sit in the shade and for some biscuits and water bottles.

“Our soldiers have been hungry since they left their base,” said an opposition military spokesman, Col. William Gatjiath Deng. “We don’t have food, but we’ll manage.”

The man they were supposed to be accompanying to Juba, Mr. Machar, remained in the opposition headquarters in Pagak, in eastern South Sudan.

“If this thing is not resolved, it’s likely that we are not going at all,” the colonel said. “Not even Machar.”"



'via Blog this'

No comments:

Post a Comment