Peace deal ‘cannot save people of South Sudan’

JUBA/KAMPALA. — South Sudan’s government said on Tuesday that the peace deal signed in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, cannot save the South Sudanese people, according to the Information Minister. “We strongly believe that this document cannot save the people of South Sudan,” South Sudan’s Information Minister, Michael Makuei, told reporters in Juba Tuesday.

Makuei further described the document as “a sell-out” reiterating that it would not be accepted.

He added that the government will consult with all constituents of South Sudan to arrive at a joint and comprehensive stance.

Riek Machar, leader of South Sudan’s major rebel group, signed a peace deal on Monday proposed by the Inter-Governmental Authority for Development in Africa (IGAD) with the secretary-general of the ruling party, Pagan Amum, in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

However, South Sudan’s President, Salva Kiir Mayardit, refused to sign the deal.

According to Seyoum Mesfin, IGAD’s chief mediator, president Kiir asked for a two-week extension.

Meanwhile, a military spokesperson says fighting has resumed between South Sudanese troops and rebels two days after the president declined to sign a peace deal.

Colonel Philip Aguer said yesterday that there is fighting in Manyo County in the state of Upper Nile.

He said the clashes are happening near the border with Sudan, with rebels trying to take areas controlled by government troops.

He said there was also fighting on Tuesday in Eastern Equatoria state in an area where there previously had been no fighting, suggesting the rebels were opening up a new front. — Xinhua/AFP.