South Sudan president fails to sign proposed peace deal

NAIROBI, Kenya-In a move that risked further worldwide sanctions, South Sudan’s president refused to sign a peace deal with the country’s main rebel leader by a Monday deadline and sought more time to persuade his government to agree to the truce.

President Salva Kiir had been scheduled Friday to travel to Addis Ababa to take part in the negotiations but he never arrived. Western powers including the U.S. and the United Kingdom had threatened…

Both sides in the conflict have committed atrocities, according to Human Rights Watch and Amnesty global. “I couldn’t find any explanation for this because he had it all. He has got a good agreement”.

South Sudan’s government said Saturday it would continue with peace talks to end a 20-month civil war… The two sides have signed successive ceasefire deals, none of which has held. Observers fear that the country’s rival combatants are too committed to battling one another to create a platform for sustainable resolution.

A member of IGAD’s mediation team told Reuters Kiir had reservations over the proposal’s plan to demilitarise the capital, Juba, and also sought to scrap a provision that calls for consultations with Machar on “powers, functions and responsibilities” he would exercise. Another rebel general soon followed suit.

“We are not afraid of sanctions, this country belongs to us, the peace that we are talking belongs to us not to them”, Lomuro said.

Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta went to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia on Sunday to attend a regional summit on South Sudan peace process.

Kenyatta urged foreign governments to recognize that South Sudan has shown its commitment to finding a peaceful solution.

They fought both alongside and against each other during the long and bitter war with Khartoum.

“The meeting also resolved that in case the summit wants the two parties to sign any agreement as per the deadline set by the IGAD plus, it should be the version which the regional leaders agreed in Kampala”, said minister Marial.

Previous attempts at a negotiated settlement have failed. A more forceful option – such as an worldwide intervention of some description – is not really on the cards.