The head of the Community Empowerment for Progress Organization (CEPO) says that wrangling for power without regard for the suffering of the South Sudanese citizens is ‘evil.’

In a statement to Radio Tamazuj, he warned that the South Sudanese leaders are still not serious about attaining peace at the peace talks set to resume in Addis Ababa this week after a temporary adjournment.

Edmund Yakani, CEPO Executive Director, urged the negotiators “to take their negotiation seriously in an inclusive manner.”

“Searching for political power without caring for the sufferings the citizens are facing is evil,” he wrote.   

“Therefore CEPO is urging in strong terms the South Sudan warring parties to care about the sufferings they are imposing on the South Sudanese such as women being raped, children dying, and young people living in displacement camps in their own country.”

The civil society leader further urged the IGAD mediators to be objective and to “not give chance for manipulation by some head of state of IGAD,” referring to the recent Protocol passed at the IGAD Heads of State summit that was not endorsed by the civil society stakeholders at the talks.

He urged the international community to be ready with the option of targeted sanctions should the next round of talks not result in peace.

Yakani also referred to the 2005 Comprehensive Peace Agreement as a non-inclusive deal “totally ignoring citizens’ influence for peace and stability,” citing this as a model not to be followed.