AU, IGAD delegation arrives in South Sudan to mediate peace
Juba: A high-level delegation from the African Union (AU) and the regional bloc Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) arrived in South Sudan, aiming to shore up peace talks between the transitional unity government and the opposition.
The delegation, led by AU Commission Chairperson Mahmoud Ali Youssouf and IGAD Deputy Executive Secretary Mohamed Abdi Ware, is expected to meet with the South Sudanese Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Monday Semaya Kumba, according to a statement issued by the foreign ministry in Juba, the capital of South Sudan.
The visiting delegation is also scheduled to meet with President Salva Kiir’s senior advisor, Kuol Manyang Juuk, before meeting with the president himself, reports Xinhua news agency.
However, it remained unclear whether the delegation would meet with opposition leader Riek Machar, who has been under house arrest since March.
The visit came in the aftermath of Saturday’s bombardment of a hospital run by the global medical charity Doctors Without Borders and a market in Old Fangak, South Sudan’s Jonglei State, which resulted in the deaths of seven people.
Tensions flared in early March between the South Sudan People’s Defense Forces (SSPDF) and the opposition Sudan People’s Liberation Movement/Army-In Opposition (SPLM/A-IO) following intense fighting in Nasir County in Upper Nile State. The SSPDF accused the SPLM/A-IO of inciting the White Army militia to attack its positions in Upper Nile, which the latter denied.
The heightened tensions caused the arrest of Machar and several of his close political and military allies, who were accused of stirring up a rebellion in the country.