The chief mediator of South Sudan’s peace talks, IGAD Special Envoy Seyoum Mesfin, is expected to meet the UN Security Council today.
The private meeting will be presided over by the Council President and reportedly will take place in a meeting room in New York but not in the formal Council Chamber or Consultations Room.
IGAD, the Inter-Governmental Authority on Development, announced the adjournment of peace talks on Monday saying that one of the parties to the conflict failed to turn up to negotiate.
It was earlier announced by IGAD that they would consider ‘punitive measures’ against parties that obstruct the progress of the talks, which aim to form a transitional unity government by mid-August.
‘What’s in Blue’, a New York-based media website covering the UN Security Council, reported yesterday that “a number of Council members are questioning the level of commitment of the government and the SPLM in Opposition to the peace process.”
“Another important issue that may be raised in tomorrow’s discussion is whether coercive measures (i.e. targeted sanctions) should be imposed on members of the government and the SPLM in Opposition to induce them to negotiate in good faith and stop obstructing the peace process,” stated the website.
Mesfin and the Council may also discuss the deployment of the IGAD Protection Force, which will serve under the command of the UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) and will provide protection for the IGAD monitors investigating ceasefire violations.
Approximately 2,500 troops are expected to serve in the IGAD Protection Force and to come from Ethiopia, Kenya and Rwanda. So far only about 90 of the IGAD troops from Ethiopia have arrived in South Sudan.
Related coverage:
IGAD to consult UN Security Council on possible sanctions (25 June)