Yakani welcomes gov’t return to Rome peace talks

JUBA, JANUARY 29^th 2023 (SUDANS POST) – South Sudan civil society activist Edmund Yakani has welcomed the decision by President Salva Kiir Mayardit to return his government to the Rome peace talks with holdout opposition groups, months after suspension over government claims that the opposition groups were buying time to prepare for full-blown war.

In a letter two months ago to the Sant’Egidio Community mediating between the two sides, Kiir’s office said the rebel forces led by General Thomas Cirilo Swaka and General Paul Malong Awan were using the Rome peace initiative to buy time and prepare to wage a full-blown assault on the transitional government of national unity and suspended the talks.

But speaking to reporters yesterday, the presidential affairs minister Barnaba Marial Benjamin said Kiir has decided to lift the suspension of the talks and ordered his government’s return to the peace talks. This, he said, is a good gesture for peace just days before the much-anticipated landmark visit of Pope Francis to the world’s youngest country.

In a statement extended to Sudans Post this morning, the Community Empowerment for Progress Organization (CEPO) welcomed the government decision and described it as a positive response to the civil society organization’s call for government to reconsider its decision to pull out of the Rome peace process.

“CEPO welcomes the remarkable decision made by the president on lifting the suspension on the Rome Peace Talks and directing the government delegates to return to the negotiating table. This is a positive response to our advocacy and lobby right from the day the president suspended the Roma Peace Talks,” CEPO said in the statement signed by its executive director Yakani.

“The suspension of the Roma Peace Talks priori the visit of the Pope during the speech of the president foe the closure of the year 2022 was a strategic political mistake made the persons behind drafting the speech of the president for the year 2022 closure,” the statement added.

Yakani appealed to the parties to demonstrate genuine political will for a sincere encounter, saying the culture of South Sudan politicians in always showing lack of does not bring other than more suffering to the people of South Sudan.

“Both the government and the opposition groups should this time to avoid the weak political culture of always shafting the goalpost. This is a culture of lack of political maturity and less care for the suffering of the innocent citizens. Secondly, it demonstrates game of friends who disagree over sharing of meal at the same time in the same palate because they love to an opportunity of absolute control of political power without the conflicting party,” Yakani said.

“Political maturity and compromises are required to be exercise the parties in the Roma Pea Talks otherwise Roma Peace Talks is become a political tourism for the parties regularly attending it. Political tourism on the expenses of the other citizens tax funds and suffering of the citizens is totally demonstration of political weakness and lack of political vision for attaining a pathway to peace and stability,” he stressed.

The civil society’s peace campaign “Remember the Kiss of Pope Francis” further urged the parties to return to the negotiating table no later than February saying there should be deadlines given to the parties in order to reach an agreement

“There need to determine a clear deadline for the Roma peace Talks otherwise without clear timeline for ending this process the political elites will keep using Roma Peace Talks as their political tourism space. Now Pope Francis visiting the country with almost zero harvest of peace from his kiss on the feet of our leaders is disturbing and demonstrating clear evidence of lack of political will and maturity from all the parties in conflict in South Sudan including the presidency,” the statement said.

The statement further said it “is encouraging the parties in the Roma Peace Talks to take responsibility of honoring Pope Francis, Archbishop of Canterbury and the moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland by effectively and meaningfully participating in the Roma Peace Talks. CEPO is urging the mediators to opening the participation in Roma Peace Talks for some stakeholders with the aim of generating home-grown pressure for reach a peace deal.”