South Sudan’s opposition leaders have launched a major diplomatic campaign with regional governments to seek a political settlement to the current crisis in the country, a leader of the non-armed opposition faction said.
Speaking to Tamazuj on Monday, Pagan Amum Okiech, former Secretary General of the ruling Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM) and leader of the SPLM Former Detainees (SPLM-FDs, said all opposition groups are seeking new political initiatives to salvage the war-torn nation.
He further said their meetings with regional leaders are successful so far. “We have started diplomatic campaigns with leaders of Kenya, Ethiopia, Uganda and Sudan and we are trying to come up with a new political initiative to end violence in South Sudan and rescue it from collapsing,” said Amum.
Amum pointed out that the opposition groups’ leaders have met and agreed to work together to end the suffering of the people of South Sudan.
When asked to comment on Kiir’s national dialogue initiative, Amum said: “We do support an independent dialogue but what has been suggested by President Kiir is lacking credibility and independence, also the environment is not conducive for success. It is not fair because other people are being excluded from the dialogue.”
Meanwhile, Manawa Peter Gatkuoth, a leading member of the SPLM-IO faction allied to prominent rebel leader Riek Machar, welcomed the Norwegian government’s initiative to host a reconciliation conference between South Sudan government and the opposition in Oslo.
“What has been proposed by the Norwegian government is a very good proposal even though it is late, it is better than others. We need to sit as South Sudanese and reach to a solution that could rescue our country from collapsing,” said Gatkuoth.
He pointed out that the international community has a role to play to bring an end to the violence in South Sudan.