This Week in South Sudan – Week 33

Monday 10 August

• South Sudanese rival forces traded accusations over who initiated recent clashes in Pariang county, Unity state over the weekend.
• Ethiopia’s prime minister, Hailemariam Desalegn travelled to Uganda to attend the Inter-Governmental Authority on Development summit on South Sudan.
• Riek Machar downplayed the rumoured possibility of disintegration within the SPLM/A (IO)’s leadership.
• Sudan’s Foreign Minister Ibrahim Ghandour met with visiting Norwegian envoy to the Sudans, Jens-Peter Kjemprud to discuss South Sudan peace efforts.

Tuesday 11 August

• A group of high ranking rebel commanders including Peter Gatdet Yaka and Gathoth Gatkuoth, who were relieved from their positions within the SPLM/A (IO), denounced and disowned Riek Machar as leaderof the rebel movement.
  • A SPLM/A (IO) press officer later announced that Riek Machar were in negotiations with his former colleagues.
  • Sections of the Nuer community in South Sudan have criticised the recent decision by the two former rebel generals to form another armed opposition group and urged them to re-join Machar.
• The SPLA (IO) accused SPLA forces and their Bul-Nuer and Dinka Warrap allied militias of killing over 200 civilians last month in Leer and Mayendit county, Unity state.

Wednesday 12 August

• IGAD+ negotiations waver as the two factions fail to compromise on outstanding issues.
• SPLA and SPLA (IO) forces clashed in Magwi county in Eastern Equatoria.

Thursday 13 August

• According to a report by the Enough Project, President Obama’s ‘aggressive’ plan B strategy could resolve the South Sudan crisis.
• Salva Kiir did not show up in Addis Ababa, where he was expected to join the ongoing IGAD+ negotiations with SPLM (IO) leader Riek Machar.

Friday 14 August

• Khartoum accused South Sudan of continued support to armed groups in Darfur and the Sudanese Revolutionary Front (SRF) in the Blue Nile and South Kordofan regions.
• Magwi County administration claims that 160 families have displaced due to the fear of UPDF forces at Pagei Area in Eastern Equatoria state.

Saturday 15 August

• BBC analyst James Copnall on five of the main obstacles to a lasting peace in South Sudan.

Sunday 16 August

• President Salva Kiir did an about-face and travelled to Addis Ababa to attend the final hours of the IGAD+-led peace negotiations.
• The South Sudanese government criticised IGAD+ mediators as ‘dictators’ that seeks to pressure a premature peace agreement into signing by the 17 August deadline.
• President Salva Kiir issued a presidential decree dismissing the state governors of Warrap, Upper Nile, Central Equatoria and Eastern Equatoria state.