South Sudan peace talks, which were nearing completion, faced a significant obstacle as opposition groups demanded the removal of a newly passed bill permitting the detention of individuals without an arrest warrant before signing a proposed agreement.
Since May, Kenya has been hosting high-level meetings between government representatives and rebel opposition groups excluded from the 2018 agreement that ended a five-year civil war, which resulted in approximately 400,000 deaths and millions displaced. Despite the agreement, violence has frequently erupted in the nation of 9 million.
Pagan Amum Okiech, negotiating on behalf of the South Sudan Opposition Movement Alliance, told the Associated Press on Tuesday night that it would be “meaningless to sign any agreement if the draconian National Security Act is signed into law by the president.”
Last week, parliament voted in favour of the 2015 bill, and President Salva Kiir must approve it within 30 days for it to become law. This decision comes ahead of the country’s first-ever election on December 22.
“This law violates the fundamental rights and freedoms of South Sudanese citizens; it eliminates civic and political space,” Amum said. “There can be no peace or democracy under such a law.”
Attending the peace talks is Edmund Yakani, the executive director of the Community Empowerment for Progress Organization, a non-profit engaging university students and recent graduates. Yakani criticized the security bill, stating it “created a negative spirit for the negotiations.”
Human Rights Watch has also urged President Kiir to reject the controversial bill, asserting that it will further undermine human rights and bolster national security agencies with a history of longstanding rights abuses.
The talks — dubbed Tumaini, Swahili for hope — have produced a draft agreement proposing to extend the country’s transitional period and postpone the upcoming election. This delay would allow for the completion of the country’s constitution and electoral laws, as well as the establishment of constituency borders and a unified security force as outlined in the 2018 peace talks.
Some Western envoys have also recommended delaying the election “to guarantee a free and fair election.” However, President Kiir remains adamant about holding the election in December and has criticized the envoys.
(AP)
