I warned AU over South Sudan war � Mogae
Tefo Pheage | Thursday July 14, 2016 11:44
“In my briefing to the African Union PSC, I expressed concern that the prolonged initial delay by the political leaders, coupled with the lack of implementation of the transitional security arrangements provided fertile ground for mutual suspicion which had the likely effect of, and indeed has triggered the current armed conflict,” he said.
Describing the war, Mogae said, “over the past three days, we have watched helplessly the sad spectacle of South Sudan descending into open violence which has led to the loss of many lives, destruction of property and displacement of many civilians”.
He said the fighting in Juba was a culmination of violent incidents in Wau, Yei, Kajo-Keji, Raja and elsewhere, in all of which there was widespread loss of life and destruction of property.
“I convey condolences to the families of the victims of the recent violence across the country, and express the hope that humanitarian assistance will reach those affected,” he said further adding that the ongoing armed conflict in South Sudan is regrettably a major setback in the implementation of the Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in South Sudan.
“This calls for urgent action by President Salva Kiir Mayadit and First Vice President Riek Machar Teny-Dhurgon,” he remarked.
Furthermore, and having continued to consult the two South Sudanese leaders during the past three days, Mogae said he also expressed the hope that there could be an IGAD Summit of Heads of State and Government to be convened in Juba, at the earliest.
He confirmed that the Summit has the blessings of the two leaders, and that the earlier the permanent ceasefire is restored, the better.
“As I reported to the African Union Commission Peace and Security Council on 30 June 2016, the Joint Military Ceasefire Commission (JMCC), created as a collaborative forum between the SPLA and the SPLA-IO initially worked quite well and in fact facilitated the deployment to Juba of IO troops prior to Dr Riek Machar’s return on April 2016. However, JMCC has become ineffective over the last few weeks as the events in Juba now painfully demonstrate,” he said.
The former president said the JMCC has failed to meet and work as a team. This, he said has impeded the integration of the forces.
“The JMCC has increasingly been unable to secure access for CTSAMM’s monitoring and verification teams whose work is critical to the implementation of the Transitional Security Arrangements. It is absolutely necessary that the JMCC functions if a repeat of violence is to be avoided,” he charged.
Mogae said he reported that the Area Joint Military Ceasefire Committees and the Joint Military Ceasefire Teams have not yet been formed, trained, or deployed, ostensibly due to a lack of funding.
“My view is that, there is no political will to form these committees. These teams are critical for the establishment, management and monitoring of the cantonment sites. Therefore, I appeal to the international community for funding of this critical structure, without which, the cantonment process cannot commence,” he said.