South Sudan opposition groups and the current government in Juba should convene a round table conference for national dialogue to discuss the country’s political future, a leader of the non-armed opposition faction said.
Speaking to Tamazuj, Pagan Amum Okiech, former Secretary General of the ruling Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM) and leader of the SPLM Former Detainees (SPLM-FDs, stated South Sudan needs an inclusive national dialogue urgently, saying President Salva Kiir will never implement the peace agreement.
“An expanded national dialogue is the only way to restore peace and stability in South Sudan after the deployment of regional forces” said Amum.
The opposition leader accused President Kiir of dishonouring last August’s peace deal after attempts to assassinate former first vice president and opposition leader Riek Machar in Juba.
Amum underscored that the proposed round table conference should involve all opposition factions and the current government in Juba as well as the civil society organizations.
The SPLM-FDs leader called upon the East African regional bloc IGAD and the African Union as well as the United Nations to call for the national dialogue conference in South Sudan.
He pointed out that the national dialogue should coincide with the deployment of 4,000 regional forces in Juba, saying the meeting should adopt a plan to rebuild South Sudan.
The statement represents a significant shift in Pagan’s political program that prioritizes an international and regional campaign for international trusteeship to be imposed on South Sudan as the only way to restore peace in the world’s youngest nation.
File photo: Pagan Amum