South Sudan rebel leader rejects deployment of IGAD regional forces
March 14, 2014 (ADDIS ABABA) – The leader of the South Sudan rebels, Riek
Machar, has strongly rejected the proposed deployments of regional forces by
the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), and warned to boycott
the ongoing peace talks in Addis Ababa, unless the decision was reversed.
Machar condemned the proposed deployments of such forces, warning that it
will widen and regionalize the current violent conflict which began as an
internal misunderstanding in the ruling Sudan People’s Liberation Movement
(SPLM).
"This is an unfortunate decision by IGAD to interfere in the internal
conflict. We reject it and condemn it in the strongest terms. It is an
attempt to regionalize the internal conflict," he told Sudan Tribune on
Friday by phone from one of his bases in Upper Nile state.
The former vice president, turned rebel leader, said the decision questioned
the neutrality of the IGAD member states in the conflict.
"If IGAD member states who mediate the peace talks want to interfere
militarily in the conflict, we may rethink our participation in the talks,"
he warned.
He questioned whether the Uganda-led forces previously deployed by the
African Union to the South Sudan’s state of Western Equatoria state did
carry out their mandate as planned, adding that the IGAD member states
should have learnt from them.
The African Union last year established a task-force composed of troops from
Uganda and South Sudan to hunt down the rebels of the Lord’s Resistance Army
(LRA) in the state. However, most of the Ugandan forces stationed in Western
Equatoria have now shifted to Central Equatoria and Jonglei states to
instead fight against the rebels led by Machar.
Machar said the decision was an attempt to replace the UPDF forces of Uganda
with these multi-national forces.
He said the 15,000-strong peacekeepers of the United Nations Mission in
South Sudan (UNMISS) that are already in the country have the full mandate
to protect civilians in crisis of such kind, adding it was unfortunate for
IGAD to replicate the situation brought about by the Uganda People’s Defence
Forces (UPDF).
Uganda which initially sent forces into South Sudan to help protect “vital
infrastructures” ended up joining the military operations against the
rebels.
In their 13 March final communiqué in the 25th extraordinary summit in Addis
Ababa, IGAD heads of state resolved to deploy to South Sudan an unknown
number of what they called Protection and Deterrent Force (PDF).
These forces would be selected from four countries including Ethiopia,
Kenya, Rwanda and Burundi starting next month to protect oilfields and other
"vital infrastructures" in the country.