Unity State Unity state governor briefs UNMIS chief on peace talks
* Article
* Comments (13)
email Email
print Print
pdfSave
separation
increase
decrease
separation
separation
*
*
*
*
By Bonifacio Taban Kuich
June 8, 2011 (BENTIU) - The top UN official in South Sudan met with
the Unity state governor on Tuesday in Benitu to discuss current
developments in peace negotiations with the rebel Gatluak Gai.
JPEG - 38.6 kb
David Gressly, the UN Mission in Sudan (UNMIS) regional coordinator
for South Sudan, said he has a number of items on his agenda here in
Unity state.
Gressly said that they will also travel to Mayom county to work on
boundary issues.
On Tuesday Gressly met with Unity state governor, Taban Deng Gai to
discuss the current status of peace talks with rebel Gatluak Gai. Last
week the governor allocated an assembling point area for Gatluak Gai’s
forces in Pakur district, Koch county, about 120 kilometers far away
from Bentiu town.
Gai was a supporter of the former Unity state gubernatorial candidate,
Angelina Teny who went into last year’s April election as an
independent against Sudan Peoples’ Liberation Movement’s (SPLM)
official nominee, the incumbent Governor Taban Deng Gai. Teny, the
wife of Southern Sudan’s Vice President Riek Machar, contested the
position as an independent after failing to secure approval of her
candidacy by the SPLM’s 27 member political bureau - the highest
political structure in southern Sudan’s ruling party.
Teny promised to appoint Gai as a county commissioner in the event
that she won the election. However, the National Elections Commission
announced results in favour of the SPLM nominee, prompting Gai, among
others, to contest the outcome. Subsequently in May 2010, Gai, became
a leader of an armed rebel group active in the western part of Mayom
county.
George Athor, who formerly served as a top military officer in the
South’sSudan People’s Liberation Army (SPLA), became a rebel commander
after losing a gubernatorial race for Jonglei state. Like Angelina
Teny, Athor failed to secure the endorsement of his candidature by the
SPLM political bureau.
Gressly asked Unity State authorities how citizens were coping with
the blocked transport routes coming from the north, which has left
fuel and some other items in significant shortage. State officials
told him that Unity state will persevere through the blockade, since
they are also receiving goods from the south up through Lakes state.
Unity state still has access to trade on the White Nile.
Gatluak Gai’s forces united with Peter Gatdet last month and they have
been responsible for instability in the region.
On Monday, state authorities supplied the rebel militia with food
after its leader appeared for peace negotiations with the state SPLA.
There is still no official deal in place, and there has of yet been no
word from the side of Gatluak Gai if he is satisfied with the
negotiations.
Gressly’s visit is also to include a journey to the north-south border
area, where there are high levels of tension between northern and
southern forces.
(ST)
--
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "JFD
info" group.
To post to this group, send email to [email protected].
To unsubscribe from this group, send email to
[email protected].
For more options, visit this group at
http://groups.google.com/group/jfdinfo?hl=en.
