IGAD Statement on “Misleading Report” by South Sudan News Agency (SSUNA)
By IGAD, DJIBOUTI (Djibouti)
Tuesday, 20 August 19 (PW) — The attention of IGAD Secretariat and IGAD South Sudan Office has been drawn to a Report in the South Sudan News Agency website (https://southsudannewsagency.org) headed Leaked memo: Uganda is the real threat to peace in South Sudan. The contents of the Report are attributed to an alleged IGAD Secretariat Internal Memo leaked to the South Sudan News Agency. The location and date are indicated as Addis Ababa, August 16, 2019 (SSNA).
Responsible journalism, regardless of the medium-airwaves, electronic or print-requires bearing full responsibility for the accuracy, credibility and verification of the information sought to be conveyed before broadcasting the same to the target audience and public at large. IGAD Secretariat and IGAD South Sudan Office are not aware of any efforts whatsoever by the South Sudan News Agency to establish the authenticity of the purported leaked Internal Memo. Had this been done, it would have been very clear that IGAD Secretariat and IGAD South Sudan Office do not engage in the typology of activity and innuendos mentioned and suggested in Report. The motive of the publisher would have been called to question.
IGAD is an eight-member Regional Organisation comprised of Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan and Uganda. The Organisation’s Mission is to promote regional cooperation and integration to enhance efforts by the member States to achieve peace, security and prosperity throughout the region. In order to fulfil this Mission, IGAD’s Mandate includes promoting peace and stability in the region and creating mechanisms for the prevention, management and resolution of inter-State and intra-State conflicts within the region through dialogue. The eight member States of IGAD all signed up to IGAD’s Mission and Mandate.
Uganda unwaveringly adheres to IGAD’s Mission and Mandate, as do all the other seven member States and in this regard continues to play a crucial role towards the peaceful resolution of the conflict in South Sudan and the Guarantors to the 2018 R-ARCSS remains key to unlocking many of the issues that are impeding the implementation of the R-ARCSS.
Therefore, against the above background IGAD Secretariat and IGAD South Sudan Office are dismayed by the Report by South Sudan News Agency, more so at this time when focus should be on implementation of outstanding critical activities of the Pre-Transition Period. This is in view of the deadline of the extension of the Pre-Transition Period of 12th November 2019. The support of all well-wishers of the people of South Sudan, including the Media, can never be more vital at this time.
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