The former SPLM Secretary-General Pagan Amum has described the recent public address by South Sudan’s President Salva Kiir as “unfortunate”. He accused Kiir of violating the Arusha Agreement which calls for the suspension of negative propaganda.
“We are neither criminals nor traitors, but rather we are advocates for peace, we are for the reunification of the SPLM party according to what we had agreed upon in Tanzania,” he said.
Addressing a crowd of thousands in the capital Juba on Wednesday, President Kiir blamed political opponents for supporting the UN threat of sanctions and he raised fears that the UN might try to take over South Sudan and steal the resources of the people.
Referring to the group of dissident SPLM politicians known as the ‘Former Detainees’, whom he detained last year before sending them into exile Kiir said:
“They talked rubbish. Even the talk that the UN wants to make sanctions on South Sudan it came out from them. Even the talk that South Sudan should be under trusteeship for the UN for ten years, this is also from them.”
In December last year, Pagan Amum, leader of the SPLM-G10 Former Detainees faction, said that South Sudan should go under international trusteeship if the warring parties do not make peace.
In an interview with Radio Tamazuj on Thursday, Pagam Amum stated Kiir and Machar are responsible for the ongoing conflict in South Sudan.
When asked about the way forward after the final round of the peace talks ended earlier this month, Amum said: “This war was instigated by Salva Kiir. The war will definitely continue between Salva Kiir and Riek Machar because they are the ones to stop it. They are responsible before the people and IGAD countries.”
“We only call for peace since fighting started. We are working to bring the view points of the warring parties closer so that they stop the war,” he added.
The leading SPLM member in exile called on President Kiir to focus his efforts on how to bring about peace to the people of South Sudan instead of accusing others falsely.
He pointed out that the people of South Sudan and the international community have been frustrated by the ongoing civil war, which prompted the UN Security Council to consider imposing targeted sanctions on those who are obstructing peace efforts.
“Their desire to bring an end to the war is very clear. So nobody can be accused of inciting the international community to impose sanctions because it is a result of intransigence from both Salva Kiir and Dr. Riek Machar,” he said.
He stressed that if the peace talks fail to bring about peace in South Sudan, then the international community should come in so that the world’s youngest country is rescued from collapsing.
Amum urged the IGAD countries to seek help from the African Union and the international community to help bringing about peace in South Sudan.
Arusha deal’s fate
Pagan Amum said president Kiir is now violating the terms and conditions of the recent Arusha Agreement by his speech. He confirmed their group’s readiness to engage the mediators so that the government accepts to implement the agreement.
He further called on the Kiir and Machar to stop the war for the sake of peace and cohesion between communities.
For his part, the SPLM-In Opposition deputy head of information and public relations Manawa Peter Gatkuoth described Kiir’s speech as calling for war.
He told Radio Tamazuj that the long awaited public address failed to touch on the root cause of the conflict and that it did come up with the way forward.
Manawa stressed that peace will not come unless Salva Kiir steps down – either on his own or through war.
During his speech, the president disclosed that he refused to give Machar executive powers as prime minister and also refused an alternative IGAD compromise proposal making Machar the vice president.
He further refused to allow the rebel forces to maintain a separate command during a transitional period before reintegration.