South Sudan president urges rebel leader to resume talks
Wed Jul 9, 2014 4:32pm GMT
* President Salva Kiir says rebel leader should down arms
* Rebels says ready for talks, warn govt over oil sales
* U.N. warns S.Sudan on the brink of famine
* S. Sudan celebrates independence gained in 2011 (Adds comments by rebel
leader Riek Machar)
By Carl Odera and Aaron Maasho
JUBA/ ADDIS ABABA, July 9 (Reuters) - South Sudan President Salva Kiir on
Wednesday called on rebels to resume peace talks as the country marked its
third birthday with celebrations overshadowed by fighting that has killed
thousands and brought it to the verge of famine.
In a swift response, rebel leader Riek Machar told Reuters in Ethiopia that
he was ready to resume dialogue but warned his troops would target South
Sudan's oil installations if fighting resumed and the government used oil
revenues to buy arms.
Clashes erupted in the capital Juba in December pitting the government
forces of Kiir against supporters of Machar, his former deputy and long-time
rival. The conflict has reopened deep ethnic tensions in the world's
youngest country, which only won independence from Sudan in 2011.
"Put down your guns and come home," Kiir said in Juba during a ceremony
marking the anniversary of independence. "I still renew my call upon him
(Machar) to accept the logic of peaceful resolution to the conflict so that
we resolve this issue."
Peace talks between Kiir and Machar produced few results and stalled after
they last met in Ethiopia's capital Addis Ababa in May and agreed on a
ceasefire.
"On our side, we are ready to continue negotiations," Machar told Reuters in
Addis Ababa, adding that he has also called for the talks to be resumed
soon.
"Time is ticking ... We don't want to be blamed."
The mood in Juba was markedly more muted than in 2011 when joyous revellers
sheathed in South Sudan flags thronged the streets and danced through the
night.
Three years on, a much smaller and more reticent crowd listened as the
president gave an independence day address. An ongoing curfew enforced by
the army every day at 6 p.m. local time was expected to further curtail any
celebrations.
More than 10,000 people have been killed since clashes broke out in December
and violence spread to oil-producing regions, slashing output by a third and
crippling South Sudan's oil-dependent economy.
The United Nations has warned the east African country faces a catastrophic
famine, with humanitarian agencies unable to supply food or medicine to many
remote northern regions due to insecurity.
Diplomats from Western powers that helped South Sudan gain independence say
neither Machar nor Kiir seem fully committed to the peace talks, with both
sides accusing the other of violating previous agreements.
Rebels have accused regional mediators of siding with Kiir's government and
want Ugandan troops brought in to support government forces to leave South
Sudan.
"These demands will not take us anywhere, let us focus on peace,
reconciliation and coming back together," Kiir said, adding that Ugandan
troops would stay.
"I will not order the Ugandan forces to leave South Sudan until when we are
secure and we know that our institutions are being protected."
OIL LOANS
South Sudan's Finance Minister said last week the government plans to borrow
another $1 billion from oil companies to fund its budget and repay debts
piled up by previous governments.
Machar, however, said the money will be going to buy arms.
He warned that if fighting resumed, his troops would try to stop production
from South Sudan's oil fields - even if United Nations peacekeepers were
guarding these installations.
"They are not using it (oil revenue) for service delivery, development like
building roads - it is for sustaining its war machinery. So we must deny
them use of such resources if there is no peace," Machar said.
"We won't harm oil installations but we will make sure it (output) stops,
because it will be used by the government to buy arms."
Machar also asked for South Sudan's oil revenues to be put into an escrow
account, to be administered by the international community, until after the
conflict is over. (Writing by Drazen Jorgic; Editing by George Obulutsa and
Catherine Evans)