Threatened with sanctions, South Sudan’s president Kiir says he will sign

The United States proposed on Wednesday implementing a United Nations arms embargo on South Sudan and further targeted sanctions from September 6 unless President Salva Kiir signs a peace deal to end the country’s 20-month conflict.

New Zealand Permanent Representative Gerard van Boheman noted that the draft resolution stipulated an arms embargo and additional sanctions should the peace agreement fail to be signed.

“We are deeply disappointed that the government of South Sudan under President Kiir yet again squandered the opportunity to bring peace to their people by refusing to sign the agreement”, National Security Adviser Susan Rice said in the statement.

Par Kuol said the rebels had thought Kiir would sign the agreement because he showed up in the room where it was to be signed.

South Sudan’s civil war broke out in December 2013 when clashes erupted following a political row been Kiir and his deputy Riek Machar.

Numerous rounds of negotiations have failed to end the fighting that has killed over 10,000 people and displaced more than two million, with both sides engaging in a war of attrition despite signing ceasefire deals.

For Machar, the IGAD Plus proposal, as it is known, that is coming out of Addis Ababa, is likely the best deal he could get, according to global Crisis Group researcher Casie Copeland.

“If anybody among [journalists] does not know that this country has killed people, we will demonstrate it one day, one time”, Kiir said Sunday on leaving for peace talks in Addis Ababa.

“For the council to be influential in that decision-making we think it’s important for the council to act very soon“, said the senior U.S. diplomat.

Analyst Nhial Tiitmamer at the Juba-based Sudd Institute said the plan also calls for demilitarizing Juba, which government supporters see as a major infringement on their sovereignty.

Reporters Without Borders is appalled by the situation in South Sudan where President Salva Kiir, speaking at a news conference on 16 August, threatened to have journalists murdered if they “work against their country” and where reporter Peter Moi was gunned down outside his office in the capital three days later.

Fighting also took place in the Manyo district in oil-producing Upper Nile state, where government troops repulsed a heavy attack by rebels, army spokesman Philip Aguer told AFP.

In a statement issued by his spokesman, Ban thanked IGAD “for its tireless efforts to assist the parties to reach agreement”, saying the UN would continue to help finalize the agreement.