South Sudan’s minister for foreign affairs, Barnaba Marial Benjamin (ST)

“We cannot make comment as the government because African Union itself has denied it was not their work. We also don’t know the intention of the leak. We cannot speculate. This is not our work,” South Sudanese foreign affairs minister, Barnaba Marial Benjamin, told Sudan tribune on Wednesday.

Reuters was the first to report earlier this month that a leaked draft of the report called for the exclusion of both president Salva Kiir and opposition leader Riek Machar from any future transitional government, in direct contradiction to the on-going power-sharing negotiations.

AU however distanced itself from the leaked document, saying it was not the report prepared by the body, further assuring that the original document will be made public at an appropriate time.

While the rebel faction of the Sudan Peoples’ Liberation Movement (SPLM-IO) led by former vice-president, Machar, wants the report made public, president Kiir’s government asked the regional leaders to delay its publication.

Barnaba said the assembly of the African heads of state and government agreed in January not to release the report until peace is achieved in the country.

“It was the African Union (AU) which saw the importance of giving peace a chance and it cannot be the same organization to backtrack its decision. If they want the report to be released, they can follow certain procedures and processes and release it officially,” he said.

He said once the report is released the government of South Sudan would then be served with the official copy, arguing that this would be the time the government can make a comment because it would be official.

The top diplomat on Wednesday was commenting in response to the media reports quoting the regional body’s special envoy on women, peace and security, Bineta Diop who was also an investigator in the inquiry, and who argued that her mandate would end when the report is tabled for discussion before the African heads of state and government.

WORK DONE

AU leaders decided in January to defer the tabling of the report, arguing it was important to allow the peace negotiations to be finalised, but officials of the AU commission inquiry believe they had played their part and that the matter was now with the heads of state and government.

“I’m not going to talk about outcome because this is not my role to do it,” Diop said, explaining that her role and mandate with her colleagues in the commission was to investigate and present the report to the AU.

She said the commission had done its work successfully and that it was up to the AU’s principal leaders to discuss the report.

She challenged those inquiring the status of the report to ask the heads of state and government as to why they had not discussed the report, saying the commission had done a wonderful job that was admired and saluted.

She however observed that appreciating the report and not doing anything about it was not worth it.

“Salute a report that is gathering dust and not being implemented, I mean what is the point of saluting that?” she wondered.

“Now you will ask the accountability to the leadership to say why this report is not discussed, but on my role I am very proud to have done [it] and when you read that report, when you have the opportunity, you will see I have done my work,” she further explained.

The commission was mandated to investigate and present its report to the AU, which in turn would discuss and publish the report and take punitive actions against those found to have committed atrocities in the 15-month old civil war.

Threats of sanctions on the protagonists in South Sudan have failed to secure a final peace deal, with the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) deadline of 6 March having already lapsed.

A resumed peace process under a new mechanism to expand mediation that would include players beyond the continental bodies is being worked out by IGAD with the talks expected to resume in April.