South Sudan president signs peace deal despite concerns

As South Sudan’s president was due to sign a peace pact on Wednesday, his transport minister was in South Africa to sign a deal he hopes will be part of a new inflow of infrastructure investment needed to develop the world’s youngest country. “Now you can see who is for peace and who is for continued war”.

Beyond improving road, rail and river transport, Gatluak said he expected the first phase to upgrade Juba’s main airport to be completed by September 2016, with China Harbour Engineering Company extending the runway by 700 meters.

South Sudan has been at war since December 2013, when a split within the security forces escalated into a violent rebellion led by Machar.

Rebel leader Riek Machar, Kiir’s former deputy, had signed the document one week earlier.

Radio Tamazuj has been unable to confirm persistent rumours this morning that Malong was placed under house arrest today, but has confirmed that he did remain at home today, allegedly having threatened to withdraw his support from the president, whose spokesman said that the government would sign with reservations. There have been numerous reports of children being killed or forced to fight, women being raped and dozens of mass killings.

The UN has accused both sides of the conflict of grave human rights violations. In the past, Kiir and Machar have agreed to several cease-fires – but each of them has been broken.

Key government concerns over the peace deal include provisions on the demilitarisation of Juba, giving greater powers to the rebels, and putting foreigners in charge of a Monitoring and Evaluation Commission – the body that will police the deal’s implementation. Mediators have said Kiir had voiced concerns about a demand that Juba become a demilitarized zone and conditions that he consult the first vice president on policy.

The United States was intimately involved in South Sudan gaining independence, and it has provided millions in civilian aid and military assistance in the subsequent years. It imposed targeted sanctions, which many claim were effective. The country has a debt of more than $4 billion.