AU Dispatches Committee of Elders to Mediate South Sudan Crisis

Addis Ababa – Agencies

The African Union Commission says it will send a high-level mediation team to South Sudan amid rising tensions between President Salva Kiir and the First-Vice President, Dr Riek Machar, which raised fears of the collapse of the country’s fragile peace agreement.

The Chairperson of the African Union Commission, Mahmoud Ali Yossef, announced the dispatch of the African Union Committee of the Elders to Juba following direct talks with President Salva Kiir.

The move comes amid worsening political instability as Riek Machar was placed under house arrest, threatening the collapse of the 2018 revitalized peace agreement.

In a statement on Monday, Yossef expressed his “solidarity with the government and people of South Sudan,” reiterating AU firm commitment to dialogue, reconciliation and lasting peace in south Sudan.

The Committee of the Elderly, a conflict prevention body comprising African dignitaries and statesmen, will reach out to key stakeholders so as to de-escalate tensions and promote dialogue, the statement said.

He warned that the current crisis threatens to undermine years of regional peace efforts and urged all parties to abide by the South Sudan Regional Peace Agreement. He underlined that the African Union calls on all parties to abide by all provisions of the South Sudan Regional Peace Agreement and ensure its full implementation.

The African Union stressed that it “continues to work actively with regional and international partners to support South Sudan’s transition to lasting peace and democracy,” amid calls from regional and international bodies for de-escalation.

The intervention will mark the first step by the new African Union Commission Chairperson, Mahmoud Yossef, highlighting the South Sudan crisis as a key priority for the AU. The mission of the African Union Committee of Elderly is a crucial step in efforts to save South Sudan from sliding into a new civil war.

The success of this mission will depend on the cooperation shown by all parties to the conflict and their demonstration of the need of political will to achieve peace and stability in their country.

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