South Sudanese President Salva Kiir met with his security council Thursday to consult on the IGAD Plus peace proposal.
Kiir was granted 15 days to consult on the proposal after he declined to sign the peace deal on the 17 August deadline. All other armed and unarmed South Sudanese groups participating in the IGAD Plus peace process assented to the deal, including armed opposition leader Riek Machar and Former Detainees representative Pagan Amum.
“We have had enough war and there is no reason for which we should continue to fight ourselves when we have achieved the objective of the war which claimed lives of our best family members, relatives, colleagues, friends and fellow citizens,” Kiir reportedly told the security council, according to a statement from his office.
The statement said Kiir also referred to the conflict as “senseless.”
Kiir, according to the statement, said certain quarters in the country and region are working to portray his government as working against peace. He said this attitude must be corrected and should not distract the government from pursuing peace.
The security council comprises the president, vice president, army chief of general staff, and the ministers of defence, national security, interior, and finance. The council also includes the inspector general of police and the two directors general of internal and external security bureaus, among others.
File photo: President Salva Kiir chats with SPLA Chief of General Staff Paul Malong