[ad_1]
The international community on Thursday called for an end to political feuds in South Sudan as Vice President Riek Machar suffered another blow when his deputy stepped down to join a rival military faction.
The infighting of the Machar movement and the deadly clashes over the weekend raised fears for the already fragile peace process in the world’s youngest country.
At least 32 people were killed when violence erupted on Saturday, just days after Machar’s enemies in the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement / Opposition Army (SPLM / A-IO) said they had ousted from his post as leader of the party and its armed forces. .
“To ensure that South Sudan moves away from the legacy of the conflict, the maintenance of divisions and splits of the parties must … cease,” said Britain’s so-called Troika of the Norway and the United States.
The statement came days after the East African bloc’s IGAD warned that the feud “is beyond an intra-party crisis and has important immediate and long-term implications” for the nation in trouble.
On Thursday, Henry Odwar, vice president of the movement and former Minister of Mines of South Sudan, announced that after his resignation from the government a day earlier, he was changing his loyalty to General Simon Gatwech Dual, who led the campaign. to overthrow Machar.
President Salva Kiir should emerge stronger from internal struggles, analysts said. By Pierre Louis GUME (AFP) In a signed document seen by AFP, Odwar accused Machar of dismissing other members in an attempt to “single-handedly run” party affairs and said the new faction “would lead the movement and plot ( a) a more democratic and people-centered path “. “
The two, who did not share a close personal relationship despite years of working together, were said to have been at odds for some time.
Analysts say the feuds place Machar in an increasingly precarious position as he attempts to work alongside his former nemesis, President Salva Kiir, to implement a peace process that is already overdue.
“A weak partner”
The 2018 agreement ended the five-year civil war in South Sudan between forces loyal to Machar and Kiir that claimed the lives of nearly 400,000 people.
South Sudan. By (AFP) Fighting within Machar’s movement diminishes his negotiating power and threatens the peace process, said James Okuk, a South Sudanese political analyst.
“By dividing … (the SPLM / A-IO) becomes a weak partner and a weak partner is not good at implementing the peace agreement,” Okuk told AFP.
“This will give President Kiir an advantage now to control the politics of the country.”
But Machar spokesman Puok Both Baluang told AFP those fears were exaggerated and accused Kiir worshipers of fueling divisions.
“We believe that the security organs of this country are behind this,” he said, accusing the president’s camp of deliberately delaying the implementation of the peace agreement “so that defections occur”.
Nonetheless, he added: “The SPLM / A-IO is strong. Yes, we have lost some of our old comrades, but the SPLM / A-IO continues to move forward on how to bring peace.
Warring factions in Machar’s movement have announced a temporary ceasefire, each blaming the other for Saturday’s violence.
Growing discontent
The United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) also expressed concern on Thursday over the divisions within the SPLM / A-IO and called on all factions and signatories to the peace process to “work together to overcome their differences peacefully. “.
South Sudan has struggled with war, famine and a chronic political and economic crisis since celebrating its hard-fought independence from Sudan in July 2011.
As discontent grew, some citizens called for a peaceful public uprising to overthrow the current regime.
The hand of a young South Sudanese refugee in a camp in DR Congo can be seen on a wall filled with drawings and writings depicting scenes from his home (2019 file photo). By JOHN WESSELS (AFP / File) At least two prominent activists were arrested last week after signing a statement by a coalition of civil society groups calling for the departure of Kiir and Machar.
On Thursday, the Troika urged the government to respond to “legitimate grievances”.
“It is important that these voices are heard and that freedom of expression is protected.”
Since signing a power-sharing deal with Kiir, Machar, 68, has faced growing opposition within his own ranks, with senior executives complaining that he lost to the ruling party.
Machar said the recent bickering is aimed at derailing the formation of a unified command of the armed forces, a key part of the peace agreement.
Source link
