South Sudan rebels urge Kiir to make more concessions
Rebel forces in South Sudan have warned that the ongoing peace talks with the Juba government may collapse should President Salva Kiir fail to make concessions on certain issues.
Puoch Riek Deng, a spokesman for rebels, said Tuesday that the negotiations between rebel leader, Riek Machar, and the president are deadlocked and the only way out of the current impasse is for Kiir to make serious concessions on certain issues such as power sharing and wealth.
The government and the opposition have disagreed on many issues, said Deng, adding, “We expect President Kiir to make concessions for the sake of peace.”
The two sides resumed their final round of talks in Ethiopia after Kiir arrived in the capital, Addis Ababa, earlier Tuesday to hold face-to-face negotiations with Machar, a former vice president.
The talks are mediated by regional states and the two Sudanese sides have until March 5 to reach an inclusive deal.
Juba optimistic about negotiations
Meanwhile, a senior government official said he is optimistic about reaching a permanent solution in the talks with rebels.
“We are optimistic, hoping that the other side [opposition] will be also mindful of the lives and the properties of South Sudan so that we could reach a final settlement,” Awan Riak (pictured below) said Monday in the capital Juba before departing for Ethiopia.
Kiir, however, refused to attend the opening session of talks last week, raising fears that the government is reluctant to sit down with the rebels and promising that the negotiations would fail.
Sporadic violence still persists in parts of South Sudan as the rebels and government blame each other for violating multiple truce agreements since the bloodshed erupted in the world’s newest nation in December 2013.
Tens of thousands of people have been killed in the conflict, while 1.5 million have been displaced and 2.5 million more are reported to be in dire need of food aid in South Sudan, which declared its independence from Sudan in 2011.
MS/MKA/SS
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