President of South Sudan Salva Kiir Mayardit delivered a message to the press in Juba on Friday in which he welcomed the cessation of hostilities signed the previous day in Addis Ababa and called on security forces to respect the agreement.
Verbatim transcript, 24 January 2014:
We are not going to stay here for long. It is just passing of a message. Yesterday 23rd of January 2014 the negotiating teams in the conflict have reached an agreement of a ceasefire, and that agreement has been signed. I want to send my gratitude to the two teams and to urge them to double their efforts to do the rest of the work which is still waiting to be done.
About the release of the suspected detainees: they would have to embark on it again and so that they… the release is done through the legal process according to the laws of the Republic of South Sudan.
The second, well, I congratulate them all – I’m happy, this is the position of our government, and the second message is to them the parties negotiating, that putting the interests of the people of South Sudan above their personal interests will be the most ideal thing for them to do instead of wasting time on things that cannot promote the unity of the people of South Sudan. I want really to encourage them to avoid what will keep them apart from each other.
My third message is to the mediators, the IGAD mediators themselves, that they have done a good job and we hope that they will always continue to do according to the best of their abilities. South Sudan was born as the result of their mediation, during the long conflict between Sudan and the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement, but the efforts of IGAD supported by the international partners made it possible that the international agreement, the CPA, was reached and that brought finally the independence of South Sudan. They should continue to do that, we appreciate their efforts.
For the people of South Sudan, I’m pleased to tell them that the conflict that erupted in December, which was uncalled for, will be resolved through peaceful dialogue. It is not something to be resolved through military means, although my colleagues on the other side hurried into arms conflict without any cause for that. It is something that could have been discussed, and people agree upon. Now that people have fought, people must come back to their senses and we sit down to reason so that we can resolve this conflict through negotiations, and this is the best way of resolving conflicts.
I want to assure the people of South Sudan all that the government will do their utmost best to make sure that this conflict is brought to an end in the shortest time possible, so that we avoid the sufferings of our people. Many people have now been displaced, and we want these people to return to their homes, and it is the next phase that the negotiations should now go into it.
I want also to talk to the side led by Riek Machar and especially the youth that have been given the name of ‘white army’ that fighting will not solve this problem, and the fact that Riek will not be in control of all these forces, I’m telling you that you respect what has been done, and so that other things are done in the country.
To the international community, I would like to thank the international community for all that they have done to us, and especially the UN Mission in South Sudan, that they have been and they are still very helpful to the people of South Sudan. The misunderstanding that might have happened between their staff and some of our individuals does not mean that South Sudan is hostile against the UN system. People must take the right path, and we should not really be diverted by what is said by some few persons.
I want also to address this note to my colleagues in the government who have direct link with the international community, that is the security organs. There has been a trend of violence against the UN staff. I want the Minister of Defense to control whoever is under his command and to refrain them from any attacks. The same thing goes to the Minister of National Security. Members of National Security have been always accused of having interfered with the UN system. And then the Minister for Interior. These three ministers must control their organizations. And if this is done, I don’t think that the UN will feel threatened in South Sudan. Police will be the friend of the people, wherever you come from, whether a foreigner or a national, your first friend is the police and the security elements. All these people must now take their responsibilities to ensure that all the foreigners whether in the UN, in other NGOs or business people staying in South Sudan must feel protected by the security forces of this country.
Thank you very much, this is my message to all of you.
Photo: Salva Kiir speaks during a press conference on 20 January 2014 (AFP/Charles Atiki Lomodong)