Kiir should take a bold political initiative

Salva Kiir, the President of South Sudan, has managed to collect the support of the regional leaders. But the crisis is deepening. The ceasefire discussions in Addis Ababa are not making any visible progress. The humanitarian situation is worsening.

In this deteriorating context,  the international community should tell President Kiir that the support he is getting from the region should encourage him to seek a political solution. Because of the backing he is receiving from his neighbours he is more than anybody else in a stronger position when it comes to taking the political initiative. He should understand that the region and the international community can only see an all-inclusive political agreement as the way forward for sustainable peace and nation building in South Sudan. Anything else, including the military option, is just a recipe for further collapse and human misery. 

The men in Addis Ababa

The Sheraton Hotel in Addis Ababa houses one the best Indian restaurants in East Africa. But its name is not necessarily associated with the quality of that excellent eating place. The hotel is above all known for its luxury environment and high cost accommodation.

Today the world could see some TV images taken at the hotel entrance, as the delegates that will negotiate the South Sudan´s peace agreement gathered for a marathon of discussions. These were tough men in soft set-up. Men of power in a setting of wealth and indulgence.

After that, we could watch a series of dramatic pictures taken outside Bor. The contrast could not be wider. These images gave us a quick synopsis of the suffering the people are going through. In this case, it was soft people, powerless men, women and children, in a setting of great dispossession. Their future is being played at the Addis Sheraton. But can we trust the players?

South Sudan calls for urgent political engagement

The UN Security Council approved an additional deployment of 6,000 troops to augment the peacekeeping presence of the mission in South Sudan, known by its initials as UNMISS.

This is basically a symbolic gesture with no immediate impact at a time of great urgency. The new soldiers are not available. The Secretary-General, Ban Ki-moon, has tried to re-deploy some of the peacekeepers actually employed in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), as well as in Liberia and Cote d´Ivoire. He has not been successful so far. It will be difficult to get that re-deployment as the Troop Contributing Countries will not approve such a move. Troops have been sent to country A and to transfer them to country B is always a lengthy process, and it is normally bound to fail.

The grave situation in South Sudan does require a different approach. It calls for political engagement with the leaders of the factions at war. That engagement has to be robust and bring together high level UN and bilateral envoys. It needs to be very impartial to be accepted by all the parties. And it has to happen now, it cannot wait.

That´s what we would expect the Security Council to decide.