Power deal fails again
Another attempt at peace for South Sudan has failed once gain. Parties of South Sudan have met in Khartoum to ignite a new power sharing deal. On Wednesday this week, the talks failed yet again to come up with a power sharing agreement. The deal proposes five vice presidents, with Dr. Machar being the first vice president, in a broader power sharing structure. [1]
However, members of the South Sudan Opposition Alliance (SSOA) rejected these terms saying that they want a leaner government. The government information minister Michael Makuei said that the administration of Salva Kiir would not sign the peace deal if the terms of the Entebbe proposal, which provided for an expansion in the number of cabinet positions, was removed. He said that such a deal would be worse than the 2015 agreement that they are trying to revive. It is yet to be seen what will come out of the negotiations due to take place in Nairobi at a date that officials are yet to announce.[2]
The South Sudanese community in the United Kingdom released a statement on 11 July rejecting the Entebbe proposal and urging IGAD to hand over the peace process to the African Union assisted by the UN.
UK pledge more peace keepers
The United Kingdom has pledged to send another contingent of troops to South Sudan to help with the UN peacekeeping efforts under the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMIS). The contingent, made up of two hundred troops, is finalizing preparations and will contribute to the constructing of a UN hospital in South Sudan that will care for about one thousand peacekeepers.[3]
Kiir gets three more years
Dengtiel Kur, the chairperson of the parliament’s legislative committee, presented a bill in parliament on Thursday 12 July 2018 to amend the constitution and extend the mandate of Salva Kiir by three years. A vote was held approving the bill. The mandate of the transitional government was meant to expire next month. The president is expected to sign the bill into law soon though the opposition has denounced the bill.[4]
UN imposes arms embargo on Juba
The United Nations imposed a ban on the flow of arms to South Sudan after a vote 9-0 in the Security Council. Côte d’Ivoire, France, Netherlands, Kuwait, Peru, Poland, Sweden, United Kingdom, United States voted for the ban while Bolivia, China, Equatorial Guinea, Ethiopia, Kazakhstan, Russian Federation abstained. The arms embargo compels UN member states to prevent entry of any arms or related items such as ammunition and military vehicles and spare parts into South Sudan.[5]
Ugandan president Yoweri Museveni asked the UN to drop the embargo. The Ugandan state house released a statement addressed to the United Kingdom Minster for Armed Forces Col. Mark Lancaster arguing that the arms embargo would not help in finding a solution to the country’s challenges. It added that only observing the agreed ceasefire, security reforms and preparing to have elections would help achieve bring in South Sudan.[6]
[1] “South Sudan’s president Kiir says ready to accept peace deal,” Reuters, 19 July 2018, available at https://www.reuters.com/article/us-southsudan-politics/south-sudans-president-kiir-says-ready-to-accept-peace-deal-idUSKBN1K9195?feedType=RSS&feedName=worldNews&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+Reuters%2FworldNews+%28Reuters+World+News%29&&rpc=401
[2] “South Sudan Foes Fail to Reach Power-Sharing Deal,” Voice of America, 18 July 2018, available at https://www.voanews.com/a/south-sudan-no-power-sharing-deal/4488976.html
[3] “BRITAIN TO SEND ADDITIONAL TROOPS TO SOUTH SUDAN,” Nyamilepedia, 14 July 2018, available at http://nyamile.com/2018/07/14/britain-to-send-additional-troops-to-south-sudan/
[4] “South Sudan President’s Mandate Extended Until 2021,” Gurtong, 16 July 2018, available at http://www.gurtong.net/ECM/Editorial/tabid/124/ctl/ArticleView/mid/519/articleId/21534/South-Sudan-Presidents-Mandate-Extended-Until-2021.aspx
[5] “UN imposes ban on arms flow to war-torn South Sudan,” Sudan Tribune, 17 July 2018, available at http://www.sudantribune.com/spip.php?article65881
[6] “Ugandan President asks UN to drop South Sudan arms embargo,” South Sudan News Agency, 14 July 2018, available at http://southsudannewsagency.org/index.php/2018/07/14/ugandan-president-asks-un-to-drop-south-sudan-arms-embargo/
