Kampala- Uganda told South Sudan’s warring factions on Tuesday to put their egos aside and make peace, a day after President Salva Kiir refused to sign a deal to end a 20-month-old conflict.
The blunt words from a regional power underlined growing exasperation among African and global leaders over a string of broken ceasefires and accords in the world’s newest nation. Washington has threatened sanctions if no deal is reached.
In Washington, the United States added to the pressure by announcing it was consulting with other countries on imposing United Nations sanctions on anyone who undermined the peace process.
Susan Rice, President Barack Obama’s national security adviser, said Washington was considering sanctions “if an agreement is not signed by the government within 15 days and a cease-fire is not implemented promptly by all parties.”
Kiir asked for another 15 days of discussions, shrugging off pressure to meet a Monday deadline for a deal. His spokesman told journalists in Juba on Tuesday the pact on the table had been a “sell-out”, without going into details.
A procession of African leaders flew in to join the negotiations in Addis Ababa and press for an agreement, including Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni, who at one stage stormed out of the venue.
“The Ugandan government knows how strenuous it is to achieve peace between belligerents, especially when the belligerents have big egos and when those belligerents put their personal egos above national interests,” Ugandan government spokesman Shaban Bantariza said in Kampala.
“We can only continue to mediate, to encourage every side to realize that their country is superior to every one of them individually.”
Source: Reuters
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