By Bida Elly David
The minister of cabinet affairs, Dr Martin Elia Lomuro has ruled out the involvement of countries’ men in the mediation of internal disputes among political parties in South Sudan saying that the conflicting parties within the unity government are capable of resolving their grumbles without external intervention.
Speaking to the media during the launch of the health security platform on Monday, Lomuro dismissed the involvement of affected neighbouring countries in mediating for South Sudan which is in the stage of transitioning to democracy.
“There is nothing from anybody from anywhere to come and help us. We are capable of doing it. We negotiated this agreement on our own and received only minor support. President Kiir gave chances including the cancellation of the 32 states. Who are they to come and mediate our issues,” he ruled.
Cabinet affairs minister criticized the intervention of countries in crisis have to mediate disputes in the country which he said are less destructive than their own terming it to be a total political failure at all costs.
Lomuro further said that the deliberations and the success of the peace roadmap were initiated out of the foreign intervention to aid the talks with neither the whites nor anybody from other planets.
He also downplayed the will that the Sudanese government had to mediate the minor internal political impasses centred around president Kiir and his first deputy Machar.
“We dealt with the roadmap on our own. There were no white or black men from anywhere else who did it for us. We are capable and implementing it on our own. We are even making peace for Sudan and how can Sudan say they want to come and help us,” he protested.
Lomuro said that South Sudan has been ticketed by the East African Community (EAC) as being one of the peaceful countries to undertake a peacekeeping mission to quell conflict in eastern DR Congo stating that the Country is so mature to be to receive foreign mediation.
“We are now participating in security provision in the Democratic Republic of Congo so we are great people since we can do it and we don’t need anybody to solve our problems,” he boosted.
However, Dr Lomuro said that the South Sudan government through the leadership of President Salva Kiir is watchful over any security threats against its own people underscoring that citizens are safe.
“Our president’s heart is for the safety and the security of the Country. If Kiir is not a competent leader, the roadmap would have not been through by us rather will bring mediating bodies,” he said.
On Monday two visiting delegations from Sudan and Ethiopia jetted into Juba and held separate talks with President Salva Kiir and his deputy Riek with some focus on the implementation of the peace agreement, besides bilateral ties following the recent stalemate over the removal of defence minister Angelina Teny which SPLM-IO protested.
According to Sudan News Agency (SUNA), the Sudanese delegation headed by Gen. Shams-Eddin Kabbashi accompanied by the minister of defence, Lt. Gen. Yassin Ibrahim Yassin visited Juba in an effort to plant stability in South Sudan and tackle challenges in the implementation of the revitalized peace agreement among South Sudanese parties in its capacity.
Sudan currently holds the chairmanship of IGAD, a regional bloc that has been pivotal in monitoring the peace in South Sudan.
Last Friday, President Salva Kiir and the First Vice President Dr Riek Machar held a closed-door meeting over the dismissal of Angelina Teny and the swapping of the Ministry of Defense and that of Interior.
Sudan’s government offered to mediate the Kiir-Machar talks as the first meeting ended in a deadlock. However, Deng Dau, said President Salva Kiir and his Vice President, Riek Machar, do not require external mediation to find a middle ground for Angelina Teny’s dismissal saga.
Ethiopian Prime minister, Dr Abbiy Ahmed who was in Juba on Monday also seemed to have offered to foster an agreement between Kiir and Machar following his meeting with Kiir and Machar at the sideline.