---------- Forwarded message --------- From: John Ashworth <[email protected]> Date: Thu, 27 Apr 2017 at 8:39 AM Subject: [sudans-john-ashworth] Some African states oppose a return by Riek Machar To: Group <[email protected]>
Some African states oppose a return by S.Sudan rebel Machar -UN By Reuters PUBLISHED: 21:35 BST, 26 April 2017 | UPDATED: 21:35 BST, 26 April 2017 By Michelle Nichols UNITED NATIONS, April 26 (Reuters) - East African states and South Africa believe that allowing South Sudanese rebel leader Riek Machar to return to the war-torn country would not "necessarily be positive at this stage," said United Nations envoy David Shearer on Wednesday. Machar, who fled to Democratic Republic of Congo in August after fierce fighting in South Sudan, is being held in South Africa to prevent him from stirring up trouble, diplomatic and political sources told Reuters in December. Shearer, who heads a U.N. peacekeeping mission in South Sudan, confirmed that was the case. "The feeling very much within the region is that his role, in terms of bringing him back, wouldn't necessarily be positive at this stage, so that's the decision of regional governments and South Africa," Shearer told reporters in New York. South Sudan descended into civil war in 2013 after President Salva Kiir fired Machar as his deputy, unleashing a conflict that has spawned armed factions often following ethnic lines. Shearer said Festus Mogae, the former Botswana president who heads the international mediation and monitoring body JMEC in South Sudan, and U.N. envoy for Sudan and South Sudan, Nicholas Haysom, had both visited Machar. "What's the most important thing -- and I have made this point to everybody including President Kiir -- is that the constituency he represents must be part of any peace process and any process that moves forward," Shearer said. The United Nations has warned of a possible genocide as millions have fled their homes, the oil-producing economy is in a tail-spin, crop harvests are devastated because of the worst drought in years and millions face famine. The United States slammed Kiir on Tuesday for the African state's "man-made" famine and ongoing conflict, urging him to fulfill a month-old pledge of a unilateral truce by ordering his troops back to their barracks. U.N. sanctions monitors reported to the Security Council last month that South Sudan's government is mainly to blame for famine in parts of the country, yet Kiir is still boosting his forces using millions of dollars from oil sales. (Reporting by Michelle Nichols; Editing by Sandra Maler) http://www.dailymail.co.uk/wires/reuters/article-4449188/Some-African-states-oppose-return-S-Sudan-rebel-Machar-UN.html ? END ______________________ John Ashworth [email protected] +254 725 926 297 (Kenya mobile) +211 919 695 362 (South Sudan mobile) +44 787 976 8030 (UK mobile) +88 216 4334 0735 (Thuraya satphone) Skype: jashworth1 PO Box 52002 - 00200, Nairobi, Kenya This is a personal e-mail address and the contents do not necessarily reflect the views of any organisation -- -- The content of this message does not necessarily reflect John Ashworth's views. Unless explicitly stated otherwise, John Ashworth is not the author of the content and the source is always cited. You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "sudan-john-ashworth" 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.co.za/group/sudan-john-ashworth --- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "sudans-john-ashworth" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. Visit this group at https://groups.google.com/group/sudans-john-ashworth. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout. -- 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 https://groups.google.com/group/SouthSudanKob. To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/SouthSudanKob/CAJb14oouiQYyxyfYJgddeMtT38OsPbBd7cW7NYrYHZmsOVpy%3Dg%40mail.gmail.com. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.
