Museveni undermined

The decision Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), undertook to isolate Uganda's dictator Museveni from playing a key role in the peace mediation process between the warring factions of South Sudan, looks like it has paid dividends in producing a compromising peace agreement document.

Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) assembly of heads of states and governments on 27th December 2013 arrogated to itself the mediation role in the conflict in South Sudan, amidst overburdening questions of neutrality of key state members like Uganda.

Uganda led by the dictator Museveni being a party to the dysfunctional politics in South Sudan feels it’s being undermined and her historical contributions to the birth of the new country negated. This is partially attributed to Uganda's president Museveni over reliance in violence as an instrument of bringing peace all over the continent, consequently he has wagered the same remedy to invade Uganda's sovereign neighboring states with impunity and on several occasions the international community have fallen victims of his blackmail.

President Museveni intervened in the conflict in support of President Salva Kiir and its operational involvement has contributed and still maintains the regime presiding over the suffering citizens of South Sudan. Its documented that Uganda's army the UPDF rained banned cluster bombs on South Sudanese civilians as well as the resistance fighters, on the other occasion the UPDF who are in charge of the overall security of Bor gave free access to SPLA Juba tribalism force to attack a UN Camp in Bor, the results was the massacre of over 60 helpless IDPS.

With such level of impartiality Museveni from the onset has lacked the moral compass and political will to remain neutral in the conflict in South Sudan. It was shocking that the IGAD team would act in a way that prejudices the peace efforts and include Museveni as a facilitator.

IGAD group are unceremoniously known collectively as part of a small club of regional dictators who stop at nothing but save their own member so they overwhelmingly heartedly fell for Museveni - Kiir’s blackmail of “democratically elected president”.

The SPLA –IO negotiating team from the onset demanded Museveni of Uganda disqualify himself from mediation team, but they were overlooked since the team sought for a quick undiplomatic solution of using decisive force to dislodge the opposing side. Museveni of Uganda is on record for having issued a statement in Juba, of issuing a 4 days ultimatum for SPLA – IO forces to surrender or be “CRUSHED”. Museveni`s hidden interest was to shield his partner in crime President Kiir from the crime he triggered that caused untold death in Juba,the very reason he unsuccessfully tried to influence the shelving of the AU report on the South Sudan conflict

The SPLA –IO negotiating team led by Taban Deng demanded the addition of other bodies as part of the mediators, unfortunately complications emerged from position since key members of the IGAD heads of states countries have open cases where they are accused of grave crimes against humanity at the ICC. The International Criminal Court (ICC) has a warrant of arrest for Omar Bashir of the Sudan and their enforcing member states would not compromise on their signatory on the Rome statute to permit criminalize d members to be the architects of the peace process and this further dented the capacity of IGAD to mediate.

Had the international community paused to scrutinize IGAD’S self-appointment to the mediation role, they might have realized that due to several conflicts of interest IGAD would not be fit for the job and hence a different option might have been sought out early enough.

SPLM-IO tried unsuccessfully to make it clear that conflict of interest exists within IGAD members and would impede the peace efforts but were out muscled by the regional body and portrayed wrongly and unfairly as an intransigent party.

The real emerging tragedy is the defender of the Juba regime could be having a hand in influencing SPLA Juba to reject the IGAD PLUS new agreement. The underlying suspicions are that President of Uganda Museveni, feels he was undermined and shoved aside. To the IGAD PLUS facilitators this a seriousness headache that demands a radical approach to issue stern condemnation notices to peace Museveni for his role of frustrating this round of peaceful settlement of the conflict.

Please find the second piece outlining the IGAD-PLUS peace deal.

IGAD-PLUS: PARTNERSHIP TO CONCLUDE THE SOUTH SUDAN PEACE PROCESS la Introduction

The window of opportunity to restore peace and prevent South Sudan from sliding into a collapsed state is precipitous if the IGAD-Ied South Sudan peace process is not revitalized with immediate effect. This is warranted by the fact that the political negotiations launched immediately after the outbreak of the conflict have been prolonged with both parties reluctant to reach a compromise.

Since the conflict began in December 2013, the Government of the Republic of South Sudan and the SPLM/A (In Opposition) have resorted to the logic of war rather than a peaceful means in the hope that their hostilities will be settled in the battlefield. The predictable behavior of the warring parties is to cause delays in the peace negotiations and use the lull in the peace process to rearm and fight. For example, following the disagreement in March 2015, there has been a serious escalation of fighting in Upper Nile, Unity and Jonglei States. In addition, independent as well as allied militias to the SPLM/A (10) have emerged in other parts of South Sudan including Western and Northern Bahr el Ghazal, and Western Equatoriaa The unrelenting violence has created a humanitarian crisis and a war induced famine including in Juba, with thousands of people displaced within and borders of South Sudan.

The situation would be further aggravated unless a structured international engagement is put in place to give a new impetus for the IGAD Mediation, putting at risk South Sudan's chance for peaceful settlement of the conflict. The IGAD Summit and the IGAD-AU meeting in the margins of the African Union Summit in Johannesburg will be a decisive moment in putting to effect to rejuvenate the South Sudan Peace Process new structure to be known the IGAD-PLUS.

Rationale for IGAD-PLUS Partnership Framework

On 1st February 2015 during the 8th Session of the IGAD-led South Sudan peace negotiations, the IGAD leadership informed I-I.E. Salva Kiir Mayardit, President of the Republic of South Sudan and Dr. Riek Machar Teny, the leader of the SPLM/A-IO as the two principals of the warring Parties that the region could not continue with the peace process in its current format but would consider other options including involvement of the AU and other partners. The two principals requested that the process remain in IGAD but asked for more time to consult their constituencies until the resumption of negotiations on 19th February, 2015. The Principals also agreed that negotiations on all other outstanding issues be completed upon their return and sign a peace

Agreement not later than 5th March, 2015. However the Parties failed to meet the dead line.

The Chair of IGAD Heads of State and Government reiterated that the IGAD Leaders will not continue to recycle the same old script in the IGAD-led South Sudan peace process since January 2014, which has witnessed an unprecedented nine (9) IGAD Summits. But, rather than abandoning the parties and the people of South Sudan, the Chair declared the need to revamp and launch an enhanced mechanism of IGAD that will take the mediation forward, with IGAD remaining at the core of this mechanism.

The proposed IGAD-PLUS, as an international partnership for peace that comprises the African Union, China, European Union, Troika States [US, UK and Norway], United Nations and IPF will have a strong and indispensable role to push the South Sudan peace negotiations toward a final peace deal. This will strengthen the IGAD mediation efforts and galvanize regional and international leverages in terms of both incentives and as pressure points. Given the Parties' current and previous lack of commitment to adhere to agreements they signed, IGAD-PLUS would be best placed to establish a strong oversight mechanism on a full time basis to assist the parties in the implementation of the final peace agreement. The inclusiveness in the IGAD-PLUS provides a joint platform, which will avoid proliferation of initiatives and deter the warring parties to delay the full implementation of the peace agreement.

Furthermore adopting the IGAD PLUS mechanism for IGAD, as a partnership for peace is drawn from its rich experience of lessons learnt from past similar circumstances in 2002 when addressing conflicts in Somalia and the Sudan as weii as in the revitalization of IGAD, during which the joint efforts between IGAD and its partners realized enriched political, diplomatic and financial support including the enhancement of ownership of the final Agreements by the parties involved and their successful implementation.

The Peace and Security Council of the African Union, in line with the request made by the IGAD Assembly Resolution of 7 November 2015, considered the situation in South Sudan at its 474th meeting held on 5th December 2014, and resolved to: "enhance and scale up its support to IGAD and its mediation efforts in South Sudan, including consultations with the leaders of the region towards the urgent establishment of an AU High-Level/ Ad-hoc Committee of Heads of State and Government, comprising one representative from each of the five regions of the Continent, which will strengthen Africa's support to IGAD and assist the South Sudanese parties and stakeholders to achieve durable peace in their country".

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Format and Structure of IGAD-PLUS

The rejuvenation of the South Sudan peace process, inter Alia, requires operationalization of IGAD-PLUS partnership for peace through proper structure and format to harmonize the regional and international actors towards a common agenda for peace.

IGAD-PLUS shall comprise 19 members, drawn from 6 IGAD Members [Djibouti, Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, the Sudan and Uganda], the African Union Members

[Algeria, Chad, Nigeria, Rwanda and South Africa]; African Union Commission, China, European Union, the Troika [US, UK and Norway] United Nations and IPFu

IGAD continues at the core and provide leadership to the mediation process facilitating negotiations between the South Sudanese Parties with the other members of IGADPLUS providing unequivocal solid support in close coordination.  

The IGAD Mediation shall draw the modalities of participation of the IGAD-PLUS in the peace process.

The IGAD Envoys will keep abreast the Chairperson of the IGAD Assembly of Heads of State and Government and the Chairperson of the IGAD Ministerial Council and IGAD-PLUS members on all developments who are expected to fully brief and coordinate with IGAD member states and Partners.

Members of the IGAD-PLUS are expected to brief their respective governments and institutions, coordinate and collaborate for peace in South Sudan with the key organs of IGAD.

Tasks of the IGAD-PLUS

The main tasks of the IGAD-PLUS Envoys, among others, include both in the current mediation process and the post-conflict implementation of the peace agreement:

Mediation Process

The role of IGAD-Plus during the ongoing mediation include:

I) Observers and advisors of the peace process by closely liaising with the IGAD Mediation to monitor, evaluate and advice on the progress of the peace process.

Undertake active diplomatic engagement to unblock any existing or envisaged challenges.

Coordinate leverage in the form of bilateral and multilateral pressures and incentives.

Ensures consistency and ownership of the pressures and incentives by the international community.

Identify and develop strategies on dealing with spoilers VI) Sign the final peace agreement as guarantors to ensure timely implementation of peace agreement.

Use bilateral and collective engagement with any country that may impede the peace negotiations.

In coordination with the IGAD Envoys, undertake public diplomacy to communicate to the international community.

Post-Conflict Implementation of the Peace Agreement

The role of IGAD-PLUS during the post-conflict phase, inter Alia, include:

Critical part of an oversight mechanism that will ensure timely implementation of the peace agreement

Mobilize funds for post-conflict reconstruction and developments

Fig: The framework of the structure of the IGAD-PLUS