Sudantribune.com: South Sudan’s Kiir threatens war over IGAD imposed peace deal

August 8, 2015 (JUBA) - South Sudanese president, Salva Kiir, has written a scathing position letter to the Ethiopian prime minister, Hailemariam Desalegn, who is also chairperson of the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), threatening that Juba would not accept imposed peace deal with the armed opposition faction (SPLM-IO) led by former vice president, Riek Machar, despite mounting regional and international pressure.

President Salva Kiir speaks during the inauguration of the new SPLM premises in Juba on 15 November 2013 (Photo Moses Lomayat)

President Kiir rejected the proposed power sharing arrangement and ratios that gives 53% to the rebel group in the oil-rich greater Upper Nile’s three states of Unity, Upper Nile and Jonglei, saying there was need to allow the two warring parties to negotiate directly and reach an agreement.

He said such a proposal may lead others to continue with the war that would be more costly.

“In a situation where there is no room for further negotiations come 17th day of August 2015 as communicated and an alternative structure to the transitional government of national unity is sought in whichever way and by whoever, this will not be desirable peace deal since such approach could be inevitably confrontational, something that the IGAD Plus should avoid to minimize the cost both human and material costs,” partly reads the letter bearing the name and signature of the president.

Kiir also objected to hierarchical and structural arrangement in which the proposal required him to carry out what his letter described as “collegial decision making” and continuous consultation his proposed two deputies in decision making process on contentious matters during transitional period.

The president lamented that the executive leadership structure proposed by IGAD Plus had stripped the president of his executive powers.

“It is well understood that a collegial structure is an association of at least three people who have equal rights in decision making process even though they have different titles but are equals. In this case, the president, the first vice president and the vice president are proposed to be equal. No doubt, such arrangement undermines the constitutional mandate of the head of state to solicit normal consultation from his colleagues or even subordinates rather than obligatory consultation mode provided in the clause 8 of chapter I of the proposed compromise agreement,” the letter said.

Another concern, according to the letter is clause 5 of chapter II of the proposed compromise agreement which provides for the demilitarization of the national capital, Juba. This clause, he said, has raised concerns and posed questions nationwide by the general population and equally by the government which, in his view and those loyal to him, should not be ignored in anyway while seeking solution to the conflict in the country.

He also rejected the power sharing proposal which gives the armed opposition leader majority representation to manage the affairs and resources of the three conflict affected states of Jonglei, Unity and Upper Nile, claiming it poses huge challenge and suggests "undeclared confederation" of the country.

Such proposals, the letter pointed out, suggested undeclared confederation structure for South Sudan, which, if applied as it is, would undermine the sovereign authority of the independent South Sudan and would prepare a ground for three regions of Bahr el Ghazal, Equatoria and Upper Nile to seriously demand for the end of South Sudan and also constitute a beginning for the real conflict that would put the region on the real historical predicament, unless this is the original intention of the IGAD plus.

“The eminent result is the total disintegration of the country. And let be on record that our government will not encourage such a move,” the letter warned in part.