CEPO: Updates on the IGAD’s Intensive Interlink Consultations in Addis Ababa
4 min readCEPO Updates on South Sudanese Conflicting Parties Intensive Interlink Consultations, 16-18 June, 2018 Ethiopia- Addis Ababa
Sunday, June 17, 2018 (PW) — The deliberations were not making great breakthrough due to the clash of opinion on the principle of responsibility sharing. The position of the government and opposition groups is still far distance on the formula of forming a government. The positions on the formation of government in clash are the government is working around the IGAD tabled bridging proposal while the oppositions groups are pushing for the change of the ratio for responsibility sharing and principle for forming government in the IGAD tabled proposal .
The opposition groups want a reduction of the ratio (55%) allocated to the government and including allocation of ratios in the state government. The big clash in the room of the deliberations is the government wants “Big Tent Government approach for forming a government and some opposition groups”. While opposition groups outside Juba want “Small Tent Government approach”.
The reality is South Sudan conflicting parties are still far from having confidence and trust towards each other in order to form a Government that they work together for relieving the country out of the on-going violence. The concept of the “Big Tent Government” is an influencing formula in some regional and continental thinking about the way out for sorting South Sudan political crisis.
This comes as results of the continental or regional experiences in handling violent political conflict for the last 10-15 years in Africa. “Big Tent Government” was the approach applied for stoppage of violence and transitioning state/government from violence to peace.
Mr. Edmund Yakani, Executive Director of CEPO calls on the conflicting parties to really accept win-win approach for resolving their political difference that is causing the country and citizens lost of human lives and properties daily due to the on-going violence. “Big Tent Government” or Small Tent Government” is not the issue.
The issue is renewal of trust and confidences among the warring parties through making effective compromises that wins trust and confidence for forming a transitional government for a reasonable period of time. The absence of political civility among the conflicting parties is a factor that hinders progress on sorting political difference non-violently
On the tent Government approach; in the context of South Sudan whether the “Big and Small Tent Government” offers sustainable approach for sustaining peace, it is necessary to concern this thinking. The Tent government whatever the size will be, maybe thinking around making it hybrid among the politicians and professional South Sudanese have to be considered. Mr. Yakani stressed
In a Separate note; CEPO strongly calls upon the parties and specifically some of those parties that failed comply with the quota of 35% for women participation and representation to urgently comply with the agreed upon quota of 35% for women in their next sessions on the revitalization of the Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in South Sudan (ARCSS) chapter 1 and 2.
IGAD Special Envoy to South Sudan invitation Letter to the parties was very clear for each party to observe the agreed upon quota of 35% for women among their delegation to Intensive interlink consultations at least one woman as a delegate. We will soon be naming those parties that are not complying with the quota of 35% for women always in their delegation for the ARCSS revitalization of chapters 1 and 2.
Finally, as tomorrow is the last day for the consultations, CEPO is urging IGAD to keep the citizens informed about the outcomes of the consultations through providing official media briefing openly on the outcomes of the intensive interlink consultations.
The absence of accurate information from reliable sources is always a denial of information. It is a violation of public right to know information timely about matters of public interest. Transparency in providing information timely is essential for keeping the citizens and reduction of rumor mongering about public interest matters
The Community Empowerment for Progress Organization (CEPO) is a non-profit, civil society, South Sudanese organization, registered by the Ministry of Justice on 17th November 2010. The organization was initially formed in Khartoum in 1999 and consisted of mostly University students, but its scope broadened after it was established in Juba, Southern Sudan as a separate entity. Presently, CEPO is engaged in the areas of Peace and conflict mitigation, human rights, rule of law, livelihood, governance and democratic transformation. Mr. Edmund Yakani Berizilious is the Executive Director of CEPO.
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