It is now official that the civil society in South Sudan will participate in the Inter-Governmental Authority on Development (IGAD)-led peace process that resumes today in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. This was confirmed after they signed declaration principles to engage and participate in the ongoing peace process led by IGAD.
It is now official that the civil society in South Sudan will participate in the Inter-Governmental Authority on Development (IGAD)-led peace process that resumes today in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. This was confirmed after they signed declaration principles to engage and participate in the ongoing peace process led by IGAD.
The civil society in South Sudan represents faith-based organizations, people with disabilities, academics, professionals, youth, women and think tanks.
Speaking from Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, Mr. Beny Gideon Mabo, said the civil society will participate in the negotiation under three categories, namely, Negotiating Team, the Secretariat Team, and Lobby and Advocacy Team.
They say that their participation in the peace process is based on IGAD’s call for an inclusive political dialogue by all South Sudanese stakeholders, as confirmed in the communiqué of the 25th Extra-ordinary session of the IGAD assembly of Heads of the States and Governments on the situation in South Sudan recently.
The group said they are deeply concerned about the worsening human rights and humanitarian conditions in South Sudan, seen in loss of lives and human dignity, destruction of property and displacement of people.
The ongoing violence started as a political disagreement and power struggle within the governing Sudan People’s Liberation Movement party, morphed into a military confrontation, before taking an ethnic dimension.
‘The current crisis in South Sudan is political in nature and requires political solutions through inclusive national dialogue and broad consultations,” they said.
The group said there is urgent need to cease all forms of hostilities and violence, so as to ensure rehabilitation and reintegration of people, especially internally displaced persons and refugees.
The civil society said they are supportive of the IGAD led peace process, which provides an opportunity for wartime leadership and institutions to be transformed into peacetime leadership and good governance structures.
“It is important to acknowledge and recognize the silent role played by civil society in the 2005 Comprehensive peace Agreement (CPA), which culminated in secession of South Sudan as an independent state,” they said.
The civil society urged the international community to pressurize those supplying weapons to the conflicting parties to stop, and to make them fully adhere to full implementation of the Cessation of Hostilities agreement.
The civil society has called for an immediate amendment of the Transitional Constitution of the Republic of South Sudan, 2011, especially sections that give excessive powers to the executive.
Other reforms that should take place in the country, they say, include the army and other security organs being restructured to reflect the diversity of South Sudan, and to professionalize it as a national defense force with a central command.
For the role of civil society to be enhanced in matters of reconciliation, peace and justice, they said that the civil society has to collaborate with both local and international institutions that are concerned with investigations, inquiry and prosecution for extreme cases of human rights violations.
“The civil society body is hereby urging the parties to commit to a well reasoned economic vision, policies and strategies that include diversification of economy, provision of critical services such as health, investment in education and skills, protection of national businesses and probity in the management of national wealth,” they said.
The civil society statement was signed by 51 signatories, who had attended a conference in Addis Ababa from 15th to 17th March, under the theme, “Sustainable Peace is a Collective Effort”. This was a preparatory meeting before the mediation resumes today.