IGAD calls for urgent investigation to SPLA -IO clashes

JUBA – Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) Council of Ministers has ordered peace monitors to immediately investigate the Magenis incident and avail the report within seven days.

On August 07, fighting broke out in the Magenis area of Upper Nile State between the Sudan People’s Liberation Army in Opposition (SPLA-IO) of the First Vice President Dr. Riek Machar and breakaway forces loyal to Gen Simon Gatwech.

The fighting claimed over 30 lives of soldiers and several people in the area were displaced and their property destroyed.

This prompted the IGAD Council Minsters to hold a virtual meeting a day after the Magenis incident.

In its communique of the 73^rd emergency extra-ordinary, IGAD council of ministers expressed deep concern with the recent in-fighting within the SPLM/A-IO that resulted in the loss of lives and requested Ceasefire Transitional Security Arrangement Monitoring and Verification Mechanism to investigate the incident to establish the facts on the ground and report back to the Council within 7 days.

The emergency meeting was chaired by Dr. Mariam Al-Sadig AlMahdi, Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Republic of the Sudan and Chairperson of the IGAD Council of Ministers.

In attendance were Beatrice Khamisa Wani, South Sudan Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Foreign Affairs Ministers from Ugandan, Kenya, Somalia, and Djibouti respectively.

Warning

IGAD council of ministers cautioned against the SPLM/A-IO internal conflict, saying the move could derail the already gained efforts in peace implementation and called for an immediate solution.

“Noted with concern that the unfolding political crisis and splintering of the SPLM/A-IO is beyond an intra-party crisis and bears significant immediate and long-term implementation on the broader security and humanitarian as well as the ongoing peace process in the Republic of South Sudan and wider IGAD region,” the statement read in part.

The clashes violated the 2017 Cessation of Hostility (CoH) and the September 2018 Revitalized Agreement on The Resolution of Conflict in the Republic of South Sudan (R-ARCSS) which prohibits armed confrontation within or among forces in the country.

The regional bloc called on the SPLA-IO forces to cease armed confrontation with immediate effect and resort to peaceful means to resolving conflict within the organization without causing harm to a vulnerable population.

“(IGAD) called upon all factions on the dispute within SPLM/A-IO to immediately and unconditionally cease armed confrontation and refrain from any offensive, provocative of retaliatory utterances, behaviors and other actions that will escalate tensions and hostilities and urged the parties to pursue peaceful avenues of resolution of internal differences and disagreement through dialogue, trust and confidence building and demonstrate greater political will and commitment.”

Earlier, the breakaway group led SPLA-IO former General Chief of Staff Gen. Simon Gatwech Dual, Gen. Johnson Olony Commander of Sector One, and Gen. Thomas Mabor Dhoal of Sector Three Command ousted Dr. Riek Machar as a chair of the movement and the First Vice President of the country the claimed dismissed by Dr. Riek Machar.

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