Watchdog calls for ‘political maturity’ as gov’t, rebels exchange blames over suspension of Rome talks

JUBA – A South Sudan civil society watchdog is calling for what it referred to as ‘political maturity’ after the government and opposition groups exchanged blames over the suspension of the Rome peace talks.

This week, the government of President Salva Kiir Mayardit announced that it is pulling out of the talks and accused opposition groups of using the peace initiative to buy time in order to prepare for war.

The opposition groups responded by accusing the government instead of preparing for war as dry season approach, sparking concerns of a renewed violence in most parts of the world’s youngest country.

In a statement, the Community Empowerment for Progress Organization (CEPO) called on the parties to show political maturity and stressed that differences at the talks need to be handled with wisdom rather than ruining the four-year-old initiative.

“CEPO is urging the conflicting parties under the Roma peace talks to serious take responsibility of demonstrating political maturity before the citizens they claimed they are fighting for,” CEPO said in the statement extended to Sudans Post.

Edmund Yakani, the Executive Director of Community Empowerment for Progress Organization (CEPO) said the disagreements at over the talks is a ploy by the parties to subject the citizens to more suffering.

“What is going on among the conflicting parties under the Roma peace talks is totally a political attitude of mean to subject citizens to more harm from violence. Lengthy peace talks and then shifting gears at the end is a total lack of political spirit to end the violence,” he said.

“It is time for the political leaders under the Roma peace talks to demonstrate political maturity to the citizens. The trending of dragging feet during mediation process is a clear political weakness for sorting out political differences.

The decision of the government for suspending the Roma peace talks and the opposition culture of changing political colors now and then, all demonstrates political weakness and lack of political focus including politics of individualizing democratic transformation,” Yakani stressed.

The CEPO statement further urged the parties “to show the world that they respect the efforts demonstrated by Pope Francis demanding from them as political leaders to give peace chance than violence.”

“CEPO is urging the president to reconsider the decision of suspending the Roma peace talks during his closure of the 6^th governors forum while the opposition groups should demonstrate political attitudes of reaching solutions.”