South Sudan’s President Salva Kiir has written a confidential letter to the head of East Africa's security and trading bloc, IGAD to protest against the endorsement of the pre-forum consultation report by IGAD’s special envoy Ismail Wais, which excluded the unity government’s participation.
Kiir, in a letter dated December 6, said the pre-forum report submitted to the IGAD council of minister by Ismail Wais is yet to reach his government.
“I write to register my sincere disappointment, on behalf of the transitional government of national unity, on the IGAD council of ministers sideline meeting of the 28 November 2017, held in Abidjan, Cote D’Ivoire, in which progress towards the conduct of the high-level Revitalization was discussed in absence of South Sudan,” partly reads Kiir’s letter.
The president claimed the IGAD report represented views of the SPLM former detainees and other opposition groups at the expense of the government.
“The report in the main epitomizes views of the FDs and other opposition groups. The TGONU (Transitional Government of National Unity) only presented to the IGAD council of ministers, during its visit to Juba from 13- 14 November 2017, a combination of elucidations and preliminary proposals. The response of the IGAD to the TGONU, as submitted by Mr Ismail Waise, was surficial, completely failing to satisfactorily respond to the questions advanced by TGONU,” Kiir wrote.
The South Sudanese leader accused IGAD’s special envoy of failing to engage the unity government on its views.
Kiir stressed that his administration does not accept the pre-forum report by Ismail Waise, which was also endorsed by the IGAD council of ministers.
Ateny Wek Ateny, South Sudan’s presidential spokesman, confirmed that President Kiir had written a confidential letter in which he protested against exclusion of the coalition government from the pre-forum meeting held in Cote D’Ivoire.
“There was a mistake because the latter has been leaked. It was actually a confidential letter, and what happened will be investigated to know who leaked the letter written by President Kiir,” Ateny said.
However, he said the coalition government will participate in the revitalization forum.
In June, East African leaders at a summit decided to convene a meeting of the signatories of the 2015 peace deal in South Sudan in order to revitalize it.