SPLM-IO Temporarily Suspends Participation in South Sudan Peace Process
The SPLM-IO party in South Sudan has temporarily withdrawn from key peace process elements amid escalating tensions between Riek Machar and Salva Kiir. Increased violence and the detention of party officials have exacerbated the situation, raising fears of renewed civil conflict. The UN warns of rising hate speech and misinformation contributing to ethnic strife.
A prominent party within South Sudan’s coalition government has announced a temporary withdrawal from a crucial aspect of the 2018 peace agreement. This decision stems from escalating tensions between Riek Machar, the leader of the SPLM-IO party and First Vice President, and President Salva Kiir, exacerbated by recent confrontations and arrests.
The peace agreement was instrumental in concluding a protracted five-year conflict between Kiir’s and Machar’s factions. Nonetheless, the rapport between the two leaders remains tense, with recent violence in eastern South Sudan further straining their relationship.
In a recent crackdown, security forces detained several SPLM-IO officials, including the petroleum minister and the deputy head of the army, following an incident involving the White Army militia, which forced troops to retreat from the town of Nasir, located near the Ethiopian border. The government accuses the SPLM-IO of collusion with the White Army, a group predominantly composed of armed Nuer youth who previously supported Machar’s forces in the 2013-2018 conflict against Kiir’s Dinka troops. The SPLM-IO refutes these allegations.
Oyet Nathaniel Pierino, deputy chairman of the SPLM-IO, stated that the party would disengage from security discussions tied to the peace agreement until the detained officials are released. “The ongoing political witch-hunts continue to threaten the very essence and the existence of the (peace deal),” he remarked.
Clashes in Upper Nile state have led to the displacement of approximately 50,000 individuals since late February, with around 10,000 seeking refuge in neighboring Ethiopia, according to United Nations Humanitarian Coordinator Anita Kiki Gbeho.
Nicholas Haysom, UN peacekeeping chief for South Sudan, expressed grave concerns about the risk of the nation reverting to civil war amid rising hate speech and misinformation. In a statement to the African Union, he highlighted the potential for the conflict to take on an ethnic dimension as tensions escalate.
Additionally, analysts indicate that ongoing turmoil in Sudan has hindered the peace process in South Sudan, resulting in the suspension of oil revenues and increasing regional instability. Alan Boswell of the International Crisis Group pointed out that there are signs of violence spilling over from Sudan into Upper Nile, underscoring the potential for wider conflict extending into the capital, Juba.
In summary, the SPLM-IO’s partial withdrawal from the peace process highlights the fragile political situation in South Sudan, with deteriorating relations between Riek Machar and Salva Kiir amidst rising violence and political repression. The implications of this development are severe, as it could jeopardize the hard-won peace agreement that ended years of conflict, provoke ethnic tensions, and lead to further human displacement.
Original Source: www.usnews.com
