Off the wire
• Spotlight: Joint Syrian-Russian airstrikes kill 40 rebels in Aleppo  • LME base metals decrease on Thursday  • Urgent: Joint Syrian-Russian airstrikes kill 40 rebels in Aleppo  • 1st LD Writethru: Pakistani helicopter crash-lands in Afghanistan's Logar, crew unhurt  • Shanghai Culture Week opens at Edinburgh Festival Fringe  • British FTSE 100 rises 1.59 pct on Thursday  • Regional gathering calls for cooperation to defeat terrorism  • Roundup: British Labour Party leader outlines 10 pledges to rebuild, transform country  • Interview: Woman who orchestrates "unforgettable" handover ceremonies at Olympics  • 90 percent of homes in Britain have Internet access: ONS  
You are here: 　 Home

South Sudan hopes regional summit to reject forces

Xinhua, August 5, 2016 Adjust font size:

South Sudan hopes to use a regional summit of the Inter-Governmental Authority on Development (IGAD) to be held in Ethiopia to shore up the faltering peace agreement and back its rejection of foreign troops after recent clashes in Juba.

The deputy minister of information, Paul Akol told Xinhua in an interview on Thursday that the country will send a high level delegation on Friday to the summit led by its recently inaugurated first vice President Taban Deng Gai to Addis Ababa.

"We have received the invitation to attend IGAD extra-ordinary summit on South Sudan, but should they raise issue on foreign intervention, we shall not accept because the peace agreement is holding," Akol revealed.

IGAD is an eight-country bloc in Africa comprising Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, Sudan, South Sudan and Uganda.

The leaders of its member countries are due to meet in Addis Ababa, for an extra-ordinary summit on the situation in South Sudan on Friday.

The summit comes in the wake of fresh fighting on July 8-11 between rebel forces, the Sudan People's Liberation Army-in opposition (SPLA-IO) led by sacked first vice President Riek Machar and troops loyal to President Salva Kiir that has left the signed August 2015 peace agreement in tatters after Machar fled the capital Juba with his troops.

The rebel leader was replaced in controversial circumstances as first vice President with Deng.

President Kiir cited Article 6.4 of the IGAD-brokered agreement to fill the position left behind by the elusive rebel leader.

Machar has since called for deployment of a third force to separate the two forces from fighting but President Kiir has since rejected any deployment of additional foreign troops, arguing that the 12,000 United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) peacekeeping force is strong.

The July fighting killed 272 people and forced about 60,000 South Sudanese into neighboring countries.

The number of refugees, according to the United Nations Refugee agency (UNHCR) has arrived at 900,000 since outbreak of the December 2013 conflict.

Meanwhile, Presidential spokesman Ateny Wek Ateny said they were willing to work with the regional leaders to sort out the intricate issues prevailing in the country, despite reiterating rejection of foreign troops.

"We have communicated and have written to them (IGAD) but they have not yet responded to us," Ateny said.

IGAD, AU and the UN have called for the deployment of third force to guard key government institution and act as the buffer zone between the two rival armies in July.

The regional countries are due to hold a summit in Ethiopia on Friday to finalise plans to send troops from East African countries to Juba.

But Juba has maintained that the action is not acceptable since it is not within the mandate of the organizations.

"There is no regional force going to come to South Sudan. They are coming to protect Machar who is not here. And if to protect the people we can protect them," Ateny vowed. Endit