Raila appointed South Sudan envoy
Kenyan former Prime Minister and presidential candidate Raila Odinga has been appointed Kenya’s special envoy to South Sudan by the President Uhuru Kenyatta. Raila Odinga has already been to Addis Ababa to meet with Salva Kiir during the recently concluded peace talks. The two had a closed-door meeting but reports from the meeting indicate that Mr. Odinga suggested to President Salva Kiir that Riek Machar should be allowed to return to South Sudan if there is to be peace in the country. Mr. Odinga then traveled to South Africa to meet with Dr. Riek Machar for further discussions hoping for another round of peace talks.[1] Kenya has always played a pivotal role in the South Sudan peace process. During what was to become the Naivasha peace agreement, Kenya was the arbiter that helped South Sudan in the signing of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CAP) with Sudan in 2005.
Sanctions to bite
Upon failing to reach an agreement at the recent peace talks in Addis Ababa, the opposing factions in South Sudan will come under pressure from the international community in the form of more sanctions.
IGAD has already indicted they will consider using punitive measures against the people that violated the cessation of hostilities. Special Envoy for South Sudan Brian Shukan said that they have used sanctions to hold people accountable and apply pressure on individuals or groups and he believes should be used in countries in the east African region as much as possible.
Meanwhile the Unites States of America has proposed to the UN Security Council imposition of sanctions on some of the government officials and ministers in South Sudan. The proposal that is up for a vote puts a travel ban on six government officials and freezes their assets. The six affected officials include Defense Minister Kuol Manyang Juuk, Minister of Information Michael Lueth, deputy chief of defense for logistics Malek Reuben Riak Rengu and former army chief Paul Malong among others.[2]
5,000 guns recovered
Officials in South Sudan’s Gogrial State have recovered more than five thousand firearms from civilians in a disarmament operation. The acting governor of the state confirmed that they collected over 5000 guns from the civilians during their exercise o Saturday. He added that this first step towards making the state more secure for the people there.[3]
Juba bans UN Radio
The South Sudan Media Authority (SSMA) has banned the reporters of the UN owned Radio station Radio Miraya from covering government events. The regulator also added that those who defied the order would be arrested. The SSMA claims that the station refused to register with it since last year. On Tuesday 29 May a reporter from Radio Miraya Martin Sani was arrested at the Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs in Juba as he attended a news briefing by the Information minister. Mr. Sani’s phone, notebook and recorder were confiscated by members of the National Security Service who then took him to their headquarters for questioning.[4]
[1] “MACHAR SHOULD RETURN HOME: RAILA ODINGA TOLD KIIR LAST WEEK IN JUBA,” 29 May 2018, Nyamilepedia, available at http://nyamile.com/2018/05/29/machar-should-return-home-raila-odinga-told-kiir-last-week-in-juba/
[2] “U.S. proposes U.N. sanctions against six senior South Sudan officials -draft,” 27 May 2018, Reuters available at https://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-southsudan-security-un/u-s-proposes-u-n-sanctions-against-six-senior-south-sudan-officials-draft-idUKKCN1IS0R0?rpc=401&
[3] “Over 5,000 firearms collected from civilians in Gogrial,” 28 May 2018, Radio Tamazuj, available at https://radiotamazuj.org/en/news/article/over-5-000-firearms-collected-from-civilians-in-gogrial
[4] “South Sudan bans journalists from covering government events,” 31 May 2018, The Daily Monitor, available at http://www.monitor.co.ug/News/World/South-Sudan-bans-journalists-covering-government-events/688340-4588168-wj5fj3z/index.html
