Lawmakers of Southern Sudan plan to keep President Kiir until 2021



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Nearly seven years after the birth of South Sudan, he wants to extend the term of President Salva Kiir and the Transitional Parliament by three years. Some see the plan as a ploy in a hesitant peace process.

The bill introduced by the government aims to amend five articles of the constitution. It requests that the mandate of the National Transitional Parliament and the Office of the President be extended from 12 August to 12 August 2021. The terms of office of the First Vice-President, the State Legislative Assemblies and the State Governors will also be extended.

Second reading in 30 days

The bill is being examined by the parliament's technical commission and is due for second reading in parliament in 30 days. Many lawmakers, including those in opposition, seem to have welcomed the bill. However, many citizens believe that this measure is intended to thwart the ongoing peace negotiations.

It happens that Kiir and his political rival, former Vice President Riek Machar, repeatedly fail to negotiate a lasting peace. South Sudan fell into civil war after Kiir accused Machar of trying to catch power.

Less than three years earlier, South Sudan separated from Sudan, becoming the new nation of the world on 9 July. were killed in the fighting and about 4 million internally displaced in the country of 12 million.

"permanent" ceasefire

The government has gained the upper hand militarily while the opposition has broken up since a peace agreement of 2015 was collapsed. 2016 At the time, Machar fled the country as a result of further clashes between the army and his bodyguards in the capital Juba.

Last week, the two leaders agreed on a permanent ceasefire and the opening of humanitarian corridors in the landlocked country. . They also accepted the release of the prisoners and the withdrawal of the forces. The meeting took place in the Sudanese capital Khartoum.

Machar had emerged for talks with Kiir in Ethiopia last month after a long absence from the country and an exclusion from the peace process, at the request of the African Intergovernmental Authority on Development.

The South Sudanese people skeptically watched the latest talks between Kiir and Machar behind closed doors, with some seeing the effort to amend the constitution as a way of delaying the process that must culminate in the formation of there will be a slowdown in the peace process because the government will think that "agreement, now our mandate has been extended so why negotiate for peace? "" Dimo ​​Silva, a resident of Juba, told DW.

"Why can not we just struggle and find a way to keep the system because [by] extending their term they will have a motive to argue or argue that they are legitimate because people and ants? "Silva said.

Legislators support change

The opposition leader in the current parliament, Gabriel Roricjur, supports the bill." We think, like the other parties, that it is the only way to go ahead. it is a legal procedure and the government should have a new mandate until the agreement is signed, "he told DW.

James Okuk , a professor of political science at the University of Juba, told DW that he thinks that the introduction of the bill by the government is a signal intended for the rebels to undermine the peace talks.

"If you train with this agreement, there will be a void. Let's not leave this void, we'll just fill that gap by extending our mandate and we'll be there for three years and you'll stay cold outside. "So, you'd better speed up the compromise and agree with us on the revitalized government." says

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