South Sudan activist welcomes Ethiopian peace deal

JUBA – Prominent South Sudanese journalist Edmund Yakani who has won a prestigious award for peace activism has welcomed the signing of a ceasefire agreement between the government of Ethiopian and the rebel Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF).

Ethiopian parties this week signed an agreement to end the conflict in Northern Ethiopia with the agreement stating that the parties recognize that “Ethiopia has one national army” and that the TPLF will demobilize and disarm itself ahead of an integration process into the Ethiopian federal army.

In a statement, Edmund Yakani, the Executive Director of Community Empowerment for Progress Organization (CEPO) welcomed the ceasefire agreement and hailed the African Union for bringing the two sides into a consensus.

“CEPO welcomes and appreciates the breakthrough for signing of ceasefire agreement between the Ethiopia conflicting parties in South African. This is great demonstration of great sense of resolving political differences in non-violent manner. African leaders should learn that use of arm forces for mitigating political differences is causing more harm to human growth and society development especially when the political differences is centered on matters of public governance, demand for democratic practices and respect of human rights,” Yakani said in the statement extended to Sudans Post.

“The spirit of Pan-Africanism is not associated by waging deadly violence against to your few African within the continent or within one member state of the continent. This culture of using armed violence against ourselves within African should stop and we should begin embracing consultative dialogue as an approach. Of resolving me fixing political differences in African,” Yakani added.

“The political leadership of the conflicting parties of Ethiopia should take primary responsibility of respecting, honoring and enforcing the signed ceasefire agreement without any excuse or dragging of feet like what we have seen in my country or other African countries,” the activist stressed.

The South Sudanese activist who has recently won an award for his peace activism further urged the Ethiopian parties “not to destroying the rich history of Ethiopia that make us feel proud as Africans. The leaders should also remember that. Fueling violence will lead to commitment of human artifices that one day Boma of history and call for justice will not set them free. Ethiopia is the host of African Union this is rich identify that the leaders of Ethiopia should undermine it by fueling violence due to their political differences.”

He further added that CEPO “hope this positive development registered by the conflicting parties will be register by the conflicting parties in DRC.”