The spokesman of the South Sudanese government and Minister of Information and Broadcasting says that the IGAD mediators were an ‘obstacle’ in the latest negotiations and are “whole responsible for the failure of this round of talks.”

Hon. Michael Makuei, upon his return to Juba today, faulted the East African regional bloc in particular for involving a third party of SPLM leaders in the talks. According to a statement by the mediation yesterday, they intend to engage these leaders in ‘intra-party dialogue,’ a measure to which the minister strenuously objected.

“We demanded from the envoys that these people should not be included,” he explained, adding that IGAD nonetheless insisted on this point, calling it a ‘red line.’

Speaking to journalists after his opening statement, Makuei also affirmed clearly, “The mediators are the ones fully responsible and wholly responsible for the failure of this round of talks, because they did not stand as mediators, but they decided to make themselves part and parcel of the negotiations.”

The statement by the Minister of Information and Broadcasting follow below.

Begin statement:

Yesterday the talks were adjourned for a period of 15 days, so we are expected to go back on the 20th to go and continue with the process. Last time when we went – we went from here on the 9th of February, and during that period up to now we have not agreed on anything, we did not even agree on the agenda, we did not agree on the ceasefire and any other issues to do with the operationalization of the cessation of hostilities, so I can say in short that this phase did not achieve the objective.

And it was our hope that we would come back to our people with peace. But unfortunately, things did not go as planned and this is not because of anything to do with the parties, but I strongly believe that it was the envoys, the negotiators, who became an obstacle other than the rebels with whom we went to negotiate.

The mediators decided to come up with their own agenda, and if you might have seen the statement of the chief envoy in the opening session – some of you might have come across it – it is that statement which constituted the agenda for the talks, which was not acceptable to us as a government, instead we demanded that the rebels should give us their agenda and give us the root causes of the rebellion. Unfortunately, these people were not given the opportunity, so we disagreed. That was one.

Number two, in the last days we were supposed to agree and sign what we call a declaration of principles. This declaration of principles was supposed to be between the Government of the Republic of South Sudan and the rebels. Unfortunately, the envoys again brought in a third party, whom they called the ‘SPLM Leaders’ – you know there are some of those who were accused last time here charged with the mutiny, and were later released on bail, and handed over to the president of Kenya. From there, from Kenya these people found there way to Ethiopia.

There in Ethiopia, and with the knowledge and I think with the approval of the IGAD, these people went to Addis and there the IGAD Envoys decided to include them as a third party to the talks, a situation that the delegation of the Republic of South Sudan did not accept, because we went there to negotiate peace with those who took up arms against the government. These people were released and they went to Kenya on the demand of the rebels. Unfortunately, and to the disappointment of the rebels, when they went to Addis, they refused to join the rebels. The rebels wanted them actually so that they go and take lead in the negotiations with the government.

But to the disappointment of the rebels, this group whom we call ‘G7’ decided to stand alone and to make a third party to the talks. So we refused, we did not want them, because after all they have not taken any arms, not that only but they claim to be SPLM, and if they are SPLM, then there are mechanisms for resolving issues within the SPLM. And if they are SPLM, then issues of SPLM are not discussed outside the country.

For that matter, we refused, we demanded from the envoys that these people should not be included, instead the envoys insisted and told us that was a red line. So we said if that is the red line, then you can continue and sign with the rebels if you so wish. Anyway, based on that, the envoys yesterday decided to call off the meeting until for further consultations.

So we are expected to go back. Not that only, but they have also – they are also saying that they will call an extraordinary summit of IGAD so that this issue is presented for them, and they told us that the summit may be held on the 13th to discuss this issue.