Peace talks aimed to end the ongoing civil war in South Sudan continued on Sunday in Ethiopia, but with little hope to achieve remarkable outcomes today as parties give divergent views in response to IGAD’s revitalized peace proposal.
A top official attending the interlink consultations told Radio Tamazuj this morning that the parties expressed reservations on the regional peace plan.
“The gameplay in the room is that the government of national unity wants to maintain the status quo while all opposition groups want the government of national unity not to maintain the status quo,” he said.
“This is the political difference on the road of peace. Without getting a middle ground over this political difference, the chance of reaching closure to a peace deal today will be still far,” he explained.
Mr. Edmund Yakani, Executive Director of the non-profit Community Empowerment for Progress Organization (CEPO), said the parties’ failure to narrow the gap for reaching a peace deal parties today will discourage the people of South Sudan.
“The parties’ leadership needs to take responsibility for compromises to make sure that a peace deal is reached,” he said.
The leading civil society group called upon the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) to brief the people of South Sudan on the progress made in Addis Ababa today.
The consultation process is expected to conclude today.