IGAD intervention immediately needed before another violation – Yakani

JUBA, MARCH 5, 2023 (SUDANS POST) – South Sudan’s prominent activist Edmund Yakani is calling on the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) to intervene and help resolve the dispute among the parties to South Sudan’s revitalized peace agreement over the removal of the defense minister and subsequent swapping of ministerial portfolios.

In a number of presidential decrees readout on the state-own South Sudan Broadcasting Corporation (SSBC) on Friday night, President Salva Kiir Mayardit dismissed Angelina Teny of the main armed opposition group as defense minister along with her interior ministry counterpart Mahmoud Solomon of the SPLM-IG.

In a separate decree, the South Sudanese president swapped the two ministries saying the defense portfolio which belonged to the SPLM-IO until Mrs. Teny’s removal on Friday night will now go to the SPLM-IG and the interior ministry which belonged to Kiir’s party will now be given to Machar’s opposition party.

The SPLM-IO responded and said that the move was carried out without the period consultation as required under the revitalized peace agreement and called on the president – which it accused of unilateral actions – to revoke his decision.

In a statement, the Community Empowerment for Progress Organization (CEPO) called on the regional bloc IGAD which mediated the revitalized peace agreement to intervene and prevent illegal actions from taking place against the South Sudan peace agreement.

“CEPO is urging the regional leaders especially IGAD leaders to urgently intervene to this latest political development in South Sudan where the Hon. Minister of Defense and Veteran Affairs was released by presidential decree and the swap of the ministry of defense and veteran affairs from SPLM-IO to SPLM not in accordance with the spirit of the R-ARCSS,” it said.

“”The officially message coming out of the SPLM-IO is saying the decision made through the president is unilateral act of the president, SPLM-IO were not consulted or reached consensus on the decision presented by the issue president decree foe reveling their ministers for defense and veterans affairs and swapping the ministry of defense and veterans affairs between SPLM and SPLM-IO,” it added.

Edmund Yakani, the Executive Director of CEPO says “the president of Sudan who is the current sitting chairpersons of IGAD and in other as guarantee to the R-ARCSS together with Uganda president and president of Kenya jointly intervene to mitigate the possible political escalation of frictions among the SPLM and SPLM-IO the latest political developments around the implementation of the R-ARCSS.”

He warned that “If the chairperson of IGAD do not urgently intervene over this disturbing political development it may possibly take the country to wrong pathway where the R-ARCSS implementation will be violated. By early next week at least Sudan, Uganda and Kenya leaders should a step To prevent the return of the country back to violence.”