South Sudan Should Face Extra Pressure if It Misses August Peace Deadline - Obama*
By REUTERS JULY 27, 2015, 1:10 P.M. E.D.T. ADDIS ABABA — South Sudan's warring factions may face further international pressure if they do not reach a peace deal by Aug. 17, U.S. President Barack Obama said on Monday, before talks on the conflict with east African leaders. The South Sudanese government responded by saying additional sanctions could harm the peace process. Obama, in Ethiopia on a two-nation Africa tour, held talks in Addis Ababa to discuss the conflict raging between President Salva Kiir's government and rebels commanded by Riek Machar. Obama and leaders from Kenya, Ethiopia, Uganda, Sudan and the African Union discussed options that included sanctions and a "regional intervention force" if the warring parties do not reach a peace deal by Aug. 17, a U.S. official said. However, the group did not reach a consensus on what to do if the deadline comes and goes as others have done, the official added. "If we don't see a breakthrough by the 17th, then we have to consider what other tools we have to apply greater pressure on the parties," Obama told a news conference with Ethiopian Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn, who has hosted peace talks. But Ateny Wek Ateny, spokesman for Kiir, told Reuters: "What we need from the international community is support, so if more measures come it will jeopardize the chances of the people of South Sudan". Rebel spokesman James Gatdet welcomed Obama's comments and urged the government to tackle key obstacles, saying "peace is possible". The United States and the European Union have already imposed sanctions on individual commanders from both sides. Thousands have been killed and more than 2.2 million displaced since fighting broke out in December 2013. Both sides have been accused of human rights abuses and indiscriminate killings, which have often been carried out along ethnic lines, with Machar's Nuers pitted against Kiir's powerful Dinkas. Hailemariam said Monday's meeting should send a "strong signal". "The people are suffering on the ground and we cannot let this go on," he said. The regional grouping IGAD, which includes Ethiopia and has been mediating, has threatened sanctions in the past, but more recently said they would not help. Western diplomats have pushed countries in the region to put more pressure on the South Sudanese to make peace. The United States, Britain and Norway were among the main Western states that sponsored South Sudan when it seceded from Sudan in 2011. Those at the talks included Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni, Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta, Sudanese Foreign Minister Ibarahim Ghandour and the chair of the African Union Commission, Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma. -- To post to this group, send email to [email protected] To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected] Visit this group at https://groups.google.com/d/forum/southsudankob View this message at https://groups.google.com/d/msg/southsudankob/topic-id/message-id For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout --- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "South Sudan Info - The Kob" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. Visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/SouthSudanKob. To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/SouthSudanKob/CAJb14oqaT3T2SjtF3_KThSiJoWRH4xL-HetZ2V1h8UysugFATg%40mail.gmail.com. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.
