|
South Sudanese President Salva Kiir on Wednesday asserted that a government negotiating team that is set to travel to Addis Ababa within days for resumed peace talks with rebels would be the last.
"This is the last time the delegation is going to Addis Ababa and I have instructed them to come back with peace," Kiir told hundreds of people who had gathered at the mausoleum of Dr. John Garang, widely considered the founding father of the nascent nation, in Juba to commemorate the anniversary of his death.
"I met with our negotiators yesterday (Tuesday) and I briefed them so that when they go, they are equipped and the important thing is that they must come back with peace. They should not come back without anything this time," Kiir added.
He went on to say that should the peace talks with the rebels loyal to sacked vice-president Riek Machar failed, the country should be prepared for war.
"Be prepared. Should Riek fail to commit himself to the peace agreement and want war, then we are ready. Let us together fight him," Kiir said. "But we are ready for peace, we are committed to peace," he added quickly.
Kiir also offered a position of governorship for Machar if he renounced the rebellion. "If Riek Machar returns and says that he wants to become the governor of Unity State, let him be," Kiir said.
"The people who died on both sides of the government and rebels are all South Sudanese, and if Riek Machar cares for South Sudanese, he better wait for elections because violence will not bring him to power. If it is by the barrel, he will not come to power," he added.
"Peace is a must...We will not benefit from war, let us agree and develop our country."
He then moved on to lash out at people who he said are planning to remove him from office.
"There are people working on their agenda hoping to change the government in Juba and I want to tell the people of this agenda to stop it," he said, without identifying any of these figures.
"If they continue, they will be banned from coming to Juba or anywhere in South Sudan. If I say this, it is not because I am afraid, that is the truth," Kiir added.
South Sudan celebrates July 30 annually as the anniversary of the death of John Garang, the founding father of the Sudan People's Liberation Movement/Army (SPLM/A), in a helicopter crash in 2005 during a flight to Juba from Kampala in Uganda.
The day was designated for the South Sudanese take time to remember about 2.5 million people who died in the long civil war for independence from Sudan.
The young nation has been shaken by violence since last December, when Kiir accused his Machar of plotting to overthrow his regime.
Hundreds of thousands of South Sudanese have since been displaced in subsequent fighting, while large swathes of the population continue to face an increasingly grave humanitarian crisis.
In recent months, South Sudan's rivals held on-again, off-again peace negotiations in Addis Ababa.
In June, both sides agreed to form a transitional government within 60 days, i.e., before August 10.
By Okech Francis
englishnews@aa.com.tr
www.aa.com.tr/en - Cuba
|
Poem
Manşetler
Spor
Son Dakika
Haber
Yerel Haberler
