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Regional crisis discussed during President Kiir meeting with IGAD boss

IGAD Secretariat Executive Secretary, Dr Workneh Gebeyehu meets South Sudan President at Salva Kiir at State House in Juba on March 28, 2024. (Photo: Dr Workneh Gebeyehu)

By Mwangi Maina | 29 Mar 2024

Workneh disclosed that restoring stability and sanity to troubled Sudan was part of his discussion with President Kiir.

South Sudan President Salva Kiir, on Thursday, held talks with the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) chief, Workneh Gebeyehu, where they addressed pressing regional and national issues.

The high-level delegation from the regional bloc met South Sudan’s first Vice President Riek Machar, and United Nations (UN) envoys to assess peace progress in Juba.

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Workneh, the Executive Secretary of the IGAD Secretariat, called for the completion of the Revitalised Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict as well as the upcoming elections.

The world's youngest country signed the peace agreement in 2018, to foster unity between President Kiir, his deputy Riek Machar and other political parties.

With just 10 months to the General Election in South Sudan, a cloud of uncertainty looms over the political landscape after parties failed to reach a consensus. To compound the issue, crucial pre-election tasks identified by the Reconstituted Joint Monitoring and Evaluation Commission (RJMEC) remain unresolved.

Among them include the securing of funds and the operationalisation of election-related institutions responsible for the preparation and execution of the nationwide exercise scheduled for December this year.

This impending election is pivotal to the democracy of South Sudan, posing a make-or-break moment, as the outcome of the polls will shape the East African country’s future trajectory.

In late February, RJMEC briefed the 1202nd meeting of the African Union Peace and Security Council and warned that the world’s youngest country was falling behind schedule in meeting its timelines ahead of the upcoming polls.

The commission chairman, Maj (Rtd) Charles Gituai, a Kenyan national, in a statement delivered virtually, expressed concern over the substantial amount of work still needed to fulfil the peace agreement's requirements necessary for conducting free, fair and credible elections.

Gituai, who met the IGAD team on Wednesday, March 27, 2024, reiterated that pending tasks include securing funding and operationalising polls-related institutions responsible for the preparation and conduct of elections and drafting a permanent constitution.

The provisions of this constitution will serve as a guide for the conduct of polls.

IGAD Secretariet Executive Secretary, Dr Workneh Gebeyehu meets South Sudan President at Salva Kiir at State House in Juba on March 28, 2024. (Photo: Dr Workneh Gebeyehu)

IGAD Secretariat Executive Secretary, Dr Workneh Gebeyehu and other officials meet South Sudan President Salva Kiir at State House in Juba on March 28, 2024. (Photo: Dr Workneh Gebeyehu)

Sudan crisis

The war in neighbouring Sudan, entering its second year this April, was also part of the discussion between Kiir and Workneh, with the two exchanging ideas on collaborative efforts to address the conflict that has displaced millions of Sudanese.

IGAD recently appointed a South Sudanese lawyer Lawrence Korbandy as its special envoy for Sudan.

Speaking to the media in Juba, Workneh disclosed that restoring stability and sanity to the troubled country formed the key basis of his discussion with President Kiir.

As the war escalates, the United Nations is afraid that millions of Sudanese children are teetering on the brink of a "generational catastrophe".

Since the start of the conflict, nearly eight million people, half of them children, have fled Sudan.

Around 560,000 of them have taken refuge in South Sudan, according to the UN, which estimated that the country receives around 1,500 new arrivals daily.