VP Wani Igga: We are Ready to Work with the Rebels of Riek Machar
South Sudan Vice-President James Wani Igga. PHOTO | FILE
- President Salva Kiir has offered to reinstate Dr Riek Machar, his deputy Alfred Ladu Gore and chief rebel negotiator Taban Deng Gai to the positions they held in SPLM before the war broke out in December 2013; as well as to unfreeze their accounts and assets, grant general amnesty to rebels and former detainees, and declare a unilateral ceasefire from the government side.
- However, the rebels have remained sceptical and are yet to take up the offer until after the final agreement is reached under the Inter-Governmental Authority on Development (Igad) in Addis Ababa.
The South Sudan government says it is ready to negotiate a recent decision to extend the tenure of the current administration by three years if an agreement for an interim government is reached.
Vice-President James Wani Igga in an exclusive interview with The EastAfrican said that the government is discussing the renewed tenure of the president and parliament but this can only happen if all stakeholders agree on the lifespan of the proposed transitional government of national unity.
“Our Constitution provides for amendments to extend the tenure of the government. Parliament has already extended the tenure beginning July 9 for a period of three years. But should the agreement be signed, then we will definitely have a new arrangement and it may not necessarily be three years,” said Mr Igga.
It has also emerged that President Salva Kiir has offered to reinstate Dr Riek Machar, his deputy Alfred Ladu Gore and chief rebel negotiator Taban Deng Gai to the positions they held in SPLM before the war broke out in December 2013; as well as to unfreeze their accounts and assets, grant general amnesty to rebels and former detainees, and declare a unilateral ceasefire from the government side.
These measures are contained in a presidential decree to fulfil the government’s responsibilities in accordance with the Arusha SPLM Party Reunification Agreement signed in January 2015.
However, the rebels have remained sceptical and are yet to take up the offer until after the final agreement is reached under the Inter-Governmental Authority on Development (Igad) in Addis Ababa.
Parliament, in March, voted to extend President Salva Kiir’s term in office by three years, in the absence of a peace agreement and because elections that were to be held in April did not take place.
Sudanese People’s Liberation Movement-in-Opposition (SPLM-IO) spokesperson in Kenya Adel Sandrai said that even though the conflict was a result of differences within SPLM, it has taken on a national dimension. He argued that the only remedy is a peace agreement that is acceptable to all South Sudanese who have been affected by the war.
After their recent Leadership Conference in Pagak, the SPLM-IO resolved that the mandate of the national Legislative Assembly expired on March 8, while the president’s term in office will expire on May 21 in accordance with the 2010 General Election.
The rebels have since made Pagak — a town in Upper Nile State, which borders Ethiopia — their headquarters in the self-created Adar State, where Dr Machar is currently operating from.
The amnesty was to take 45 days according to the Arusha Accord signed in January. However, the rebels have largely ignored the concession, with Mr Igga saying only a few low key figures have responded, explaining that “most of our brothers are still hesitant until after the signing of the Addis Ababa peace process.”
The rebels had said they can only return if they are assured of protection by regional troops of their choice, mainly from Kenya, South Africa, Tanzania and Ethiopia.
The government had earlier argued that these countries already have contingents in the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS), but the challenge is that these countries have no leverage over their soldiers once they are part of a UN peacekeeping mission.
The government has finally agreed to allow 60 soldiers from countries of their choice to accompany them on their return.
The focus of the international community is now on the worsening humanitarian situation in South Sudan as Igad puts together an expanded Igad-Plus mechanism to try to secure a final peace agreement.
READ: Igad asks more countries to join South Sudan peace talks
While visiting Nairobi last week, the United States Secretary of State John Kerry said that the Troika countries — the US, UK and Norway — and Igad have been putting pressure on the warring parties to end the war or face sanctions.
The sanctions will target individuals responsible for the atrocities committed and the mismanagement of the country’s wealth.
However, Mr Igga urged the international community to also appreciate the progress made so far even though the war is not yet over. “The best language in the current circumstances is persuasion and not sanctions, which are likely to harm the peace process,” said Mr Igga.
Mr Kerry also said that the US would give $5 million to set up a hybrid tribunal to try the perpetrators of the conflict and war crimes in South Sudan.
Hybrid courts — seen as an alternative to the International Criminal Court — include both local and independent international judges, with the best examples in Africa being the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda and the Special Court for Sierra Leone.
The hybrid tribunal works under predetermined rules of procedure and its decisions are binding. Outside the continent, there have been tribunals for Yugoslavia, East Timor and Kosovo.
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