S. Sudan talks on next week

ADDIS ABABA. - A new round of talks between South Sudan’s President Salva Kiir and rebel leader Riek Machar will take place next week in the Sudanese capital Khartoum, the Sudanese government said yesterday.

President Kiir and Machar met in the Ethiopian capital this week, the first time the two men had met since 2016 when a peace deal collapsed spectacularly, leading to the deaths of hundreds of people in the South Sudanese capital of Juba.

But after the meeting convened by Ethiopian prime minister Abiy Ahmed, representatives of President Kiir and Machar poured cold water on hopes for an end to a five-year civil war, by dismissing proposals for a “bridging” administration put forward by regional body IGAD.

It also became quickly apparent that while South Sudan’s government was open to having the opposition in the vice president’s role, they would not accept having Machar return to the position held before fighting erupted in July 2016.

“Machar cannot be part of government, simply because we have had enough of him”, government spokesman Michael Makuei said.

Sudan is a member of IGAD, which has led the faltering peace process for South Sudan. The war that broke out in 2013, less than two years after the oil-rich new nation gained independence from Sudan, has caused the deaths of tens of thousands of people and triggered the biggest displacement crisis in Africa since the Rwandan genocide in 1994.

What next for South Sudan’s peace process?

Despite the apparent failure of this week’s efforts to get President Kiir and Machar to find common ground in Addis Ababa, the Sudanese Foreign Affairs Ministry said in a statement yesterday: “Preparations are afoot to give a new impetus to this new round of talks and ensure a successful outcome.”

The ministry said next week’s talks would be convened by Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir, a key player in South Sudan’s history. - Africa News.