South Sudan President Balks at Peace Deal
August 17, 2015
by VOA News
South Sudan President Salva Kiir has refused to sign a peace deal aimed at ending the country's 20-month civil war.
His decision is the latest blow to peace talks between the government and rebels in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, sponsored by the East African bloc IGAD.
Asked by VOA if this means the fighting in South Sudan will continue, rebel spokesman Stephen Par said, "Apparently."
The proposed agreement was signed Monday by rebel leader Riek Machar and Pagan Amum, the head of South Sudan's ruling party. The deal appeared meaningless, though, after the president rejected it.
Representatives of Kiir and rebel leader Riek Machar have been negotiating in the Ethiopian capital of Addis Ababa since August 6. The U.S. had urged the warring factions to reach a peace agreement by August 17 or face sanctions.
On the government's Twitter account, Kiir said, "Peace that cannot be sustained cannot be signed."
He also wrote, "If it is signed today and then tomorrow we go back to war, then what have we achieved?"
The war erupted in December 2013 following a political dispute between Kiir and Machar, his former deputy.
The United Nations says the war has since displaced more than 2.2 million people -- 1.5 million internally and 730,000 to neighboring countries. The U.N. mission in the country says it is sheltering nearly 200,000 civilians on its bases.
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