First Vice President Dr. Riek Machar Teny shaking hands with President Salva Kiir Mayardit/courtesy photo
By Yiep Joseph
As the 2018 peace agreement faces a lot of challenges, hope has been put on the African Union to make a breakthrough.
The arrival of the African Union Peace and Security Council (PSC) in Juba on Sunday reflects its commitment toward solving the deadlock among peace parties.
Some of the peace deadlocks include the house arrest of First Vice President Dr. Riek Machar and reports of armed confrontations among parties to the peace agreement.
According to the statement from the South Sudan Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the AU delegation will meet top leaders.
“During their mission, the AU delegation will hold a series of high-level discussions with senior government officials of the Republic of South Sudan. These engagements form part of the African Union’s continued commitment to supporting stability, peacebuilding, and the ongoing peace process in the country,” the statement partly read.
“The visit highlights the close collaboration between the African Union and South Sudan, reaffirming shared efforts to strengthen peace, security, and development in the region,” it partly read.
As it marks AU’s second chance in Juba on a peace-related mission since the arrest of First Vice President Dr. Riek Machar Teny, the South Sudan citizens expect success.
In April this year the African Union Panel of the Wise visited Juba and engaged with all the stakeholders to de-escalate tensions and promote dialogue.
According to AU Commission (AUC) Chairperson Mahmoud Youssouf Ali, the panel was meant to meet President Salva Kiir Mayardit, the vice presidents, R-ARCSS institutions, constitution-making and electoral bodies, South Sudan People’s Defence Forces (SSPDF) officers, the Reconstituted Joint Monitoring Evaluation Commission (RJMEC), CTSAMVM, IGAD, and other relevant stakeholders.
However, the delegation went back without meeting some of the officials, including Dr. Riek Machar.
Despite their efforts, the deadlock among peace parties persists.
The visit of the Panel comes on the back of the recent itinerary of the IGAD envoy and former Kenyan Prime Minister Raila Odinga, who met with President Kiir and Ugandan President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni.
However, Odinga was denied access to meet with First Vice President Dr. Riek Machar, who is currently under house arrest.
The Executive Director for the Centre for Peace and Advocacy, Ter Manyang Gatwech, reiterated his call on the AU delegation to ensure that they meet Dr. Machar in order to get his side of the story.