Uhuru seeks urgent solution to South Sudan crisis

President Uhuru Kenyatta wants antagonists in the South Sudan conflict to use the available “small window of opportunity” to reach a peace solution.

President Kenyatta warned that the region would not accept an overthrow of what he called a legitimate government.

In his address to the 23rd Extraordinary Summit for the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (Igad) in Nairobi, Mr Kenyatta said that there is an urgent need for a solution because instability in South Sudan affects the entire Eastern Africa region.

“The people of South Sudan and this region are tired of war. They now only want wars to be fought against poverty, disease and ignorance. The present crisis if not contained will produce millions of internally displaced persons and refugees and set back this region immeasurably,” he said.

“We have a very small window of opportunity to secure peace, which we urge all stakeholders to seize, including Riek Machar. Let it be known that we in IGAD will not accept the unconstitutional overthrow of a duly and democratically elected government in South Sudan.”

Regional leaders under Igad converged in Nairobi Friday to push forward their search for a solution to the South Sudan problem which has seen hundreds of foreigners flee and thousands of South Sudanese seek refuge in UN camps.

(Read: Uhuru urges talks to end South Sudan crisis)

Igad is a regional bloc comprising Kenya, Ethiopia, Uganda, Djibouti, Somalia, Sudan and Ethiopia and South Sudan.

It mainly strives to address stability in the region as a measure for economic prosperity. It is currently chaired by Ethiopia while South Sudan is the youngest member admitted in 2011.

A statement from Igad said the Special Summit for the Heads of State and Government would be addressing key options for Africa’s youngest nation which descended into chaos on December 16.

“Being an extraordinary session, all Heads of State and government from Igad Member Countries; Djibouti, Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan and Uganda are expected to attend. The communiqué should be expected much later,” Igad said in a statement sent to newsrooms.

The key players to the conflict; President Salva Kiir, sacked vice president Riek Machar and widow of that country’s founding father, John Garang, Rebecca Garang have all accepted to hold talks.

The Machar camp has, however, said that President Kiir should release political prisoners first because they are part of the solution.

Mr Kenyatta agreed that the detainees are part of a political solution to the conflict but added “South Sudan’s legal system must process them as it should, while they are treated humanely and quickly enabled to be an integral part of the dialogue.”

Their release and a potential coalition arrangement are some of the key issues that were on Friday set to be discussed by regional leaders converging in Nairobi to help stop the violence in South Sudan.

POWER SHARING

A source close to the meeting had earlier told Nation.co.ke that leaders were to consider power sharing as one of the options to help end the chaos in Africa’s youngest nation.

(Read: Igad 'considering power sharing' to end strife in S. Sudan)

“There is a strong desire to end the violence and leaders have seen this is a political problem which can be solved is everyone is brought on board,” said a source who requested to remain anonymous but who is privy to the meeting indicated.

Mr Kenyatta’s speech, though not a final decision of the conference, was indicative of the regional resolve to break down the spiralling conflict which the United Nations earlier in the week warned it was “on the brink of precipice.”

For example, although it is a mediation effort, the five-page speech had nine phrases involving the word ‘must.’

“We have no time. If the present violence continues and the violence on the ground leads to atrocities against civilians, it will create global dynamics that make it much more difficult for South Sudan and the region to reach a resolution.

“It is also an unacceptable threat to regional peace and security. There must therefore be an immediate cessation of violence. The safety of all these people is foremost in my mind. Whatever political problems there are, our people must not be made to suffer for them.”

In mediation, experts say it is not very important for mediators to be neutral to the conflict. However, timing of such intervention is important because it ensures all the antagonists are engaged.

“It is quite early to mediate now because the main actors are just appearing. Such efforts may exclude key players meaning the solution will be incomplete. What is required for now is prevention, setting up good offices and addressing other immediate measures,” argued Dr Ochieng’ Kamudhayi, a lecturer of conflict management at the University of Nairobi.

Kenya on Saturday started the evacuation of more than 1600 Kenyans thought to have been trapped in Juba.

On Wednesday, the government announced that it had chartered two Kenya Airways planes to help reinforce the evacuation programme.

CHIEF MEDIATOR

President Kenyatta’s proposal was for two individuals to be involved in mediating the two sides.

Kenya's General Lazaro Sumbeiywo and Seyoum Mesfin from Ethiopia were appointed Igad’s special envoys to South Sudan.

Gen Sumbeiywo was chief mediator who successfully led to the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) in 2005, a document that outlined the eventual secession of South Sudan from Sudan.

Mr Kenyatta also suggested that the Igad Council of Minister reaches out to Riek Machar who has not shown up since the violence broke out two weeks ago.

The UN last week warned that South Sudan was slowly moving towards crimes against humanity following the discovery of a secret grave in Bentiu, Unity State.

(Read: 'Thousands' killed as South Sudan slides toward civil war)

However, the global body has since sent reinforcements of peace