http://news.yahoo.com/sudan-refugees-return-fight-peace-talks-drag-162425242.html;_ylt=AwrBJR_bri1ToiEA7gnQtDMD
S. Sudan government officially delivers protest letter to IGAD
By Tesfa-Alem Tekle
March 21, 2014 (ADDIS ABABA) - The South Sudanese government has officially
notified mediators from the East African regional bloc, IGAD, less than 24
hours after it opposed the participation of its seven senior politicians in
the ongoing peace talks in Ethiopia.
Sudan Tribune has reliably learned that Nhial Deng Nhial, South Sudan's
lead negotiator at the talks arrived Friday in the Ethiopian capital, Addis
Ababa minus the other members on his team.
Juba on Thursday said it would only participate in the negotiations with
rebels on condition that IGAD excluded the seven political figures
currently in Kenya from taking part as a third bloc.
The seven former detainees, now in Nairobi for safety reasons, were
released under an initial peace accord signed in Addis Ababa in January.
Nhial, sources told Sudan Tribune Friday, also held talks with Ethiopia's
Prime minister, Hailemariam Desalegn on the South Sudan situation and how
to politically settle the crises.
Member of the SPLM-In-Opposition have, however, insisted they were not
surprised by the recent change in South Sudan government position, which
came a day to resumption of the new round of talks.
The rebels argued that the participation of the former political detainees
on the negotiation table, would nullify the government argument of "false
accusation" against the remaining four detainees currently on treason trial
for alleged involvement in coup attempt.
South Sudan's President Salva Kiir and his allies, a rebel negotiator
claimed, "don't want the formation of any interim arrangement because they
are implicated in war crimes and crime against humanity".
"(..) And they fear they might lose their positions and will be subjected
to criminal persecution whether through special tribunal, hybrid court or
South Sudan local justice mechanism that shall be established to try these
crimes and abuses of human rights", he further said.
Several members of the opposition forces have also accused the Juba
government of continuously violating the ceasefire deal signed by both
warring parties, saying the recent takeover of the Upper Nile state
capital, Malakal was to bolster government position at the talks.
Malakal, a strategic town north of Juba, has changed hands several times
between the army and rebels, with the latter controlling if for over a
month, before government forces recaptured it early this week.
TOUGH DEMANDS
Meanwhile, the rebels have urged the international community to call for
immediate resignation of President Kiir and individuals found to have been
directly involved in human rights abuses and crimes against humanity.
They further called for sanctions to be imposed on the "criminals"
allegedly killing people in the South Sudan capital as well as other parts
of the country.
Despite all these demands, however, officials from the negotiation team
reaffirmed their readiness to engage in talks with government, which it
largely accuses together with Ugandan troops of continued violation of
cessation of hostilities agreement.
Violence erupted in Juba last year following a dispute between members of
the presidential guards. An estimated more than 10,000 people have been
killed and nearly a million displaced as the conflict spread to three of
the country's 10 states.
South Sudanese civil society activists have called for a comprehensive and
wider participation of all sections of the society for the conflict to be
amicably resolved.
(ST)
Received on Sat Mar 22 2014 - 11:53:18 EDT