A key meeting was set to be held in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa late this week between the main protagonists in South Sudan’s civil war as the US begins to lose patience with President Salva Kiir, whom it accuses of not being interested in peace, writes Iain Esau.

In the lead-up to the gathering, preparatory talks were held in Ethiopia over the weekend in an attempt to establish some form of trust and compromise among the warring parties.

Representatives from the Sudan Peoples’ Liberation Movement/Army-In Opposition, the South Sudan Opposition Alliance and Kiir’s Transitional Government of National Unity attended the Ethiopian gathering, which was organised by the Inter-Governmental Authority on Development, supported by the US, UK and Norway.

The US has imposed sanctions on certain individuals and companies active in South Sudan but countries such as Kenya, Ethiopia and Uganda are reluctant to take similar measures and risk damage to negotiations.

Nevertheless, last week Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta expressed disappointment that talks between Kiir and his arch rival Riek Machar have made little progress, while violence on the ground continues.

An August 2015 deal — the Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in South Sudan (ARCSS) — aimed to set up a transitional government but collapsed when Machar was forced to flee the country the following year. Since then, little traction has been made in the peace process, with a ceasefire agreed in December 2017 almost immediately violated.

A frustrated White House stated last week: “We assess that the Transitional Government of National Unity in South Sudan is no longer inclusive. The forced exile of key leadership representatives who signed ARCSS further demonstrates the Kiir regime’s cynical repudiation of the peace process.”

The administration of US President Donald Trump added: “The US will condemn any unilateral effort of the current government of South Sudan to extend its power through sham elections, the legislature, or continued military offensives.”

The UK’s Minister for Africa Harriett Baldwin said: “No party has yet been held to account for violating the cessation of hostilities agreement (and) the perpetrators continue to act with impunity."

She called on those who violated the ceasefire to “face consequences for their actions”.

Kiir said “the delay should and must be blamed squarely on the opposition (who) have been putting forward impractical proposals”, adding that the US is “a real obstacle” towards achieving peace.

Weekly

Addis Ababa meeting to take place this week