IGAD SUMMIT POSTPONED IN ADDIS ABABA

Photo by PSCU
ADDIS ABABA , ETHIOPIA, 29 January 2015, PSCU

By Murigi Macharia

THE 29th Extra-Ordinary Summit of the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) that was scheduled to find lasting solutions to the conflict -ravaged South Sudan was today put off to Saturday.

The summit was formally postponed after hours of consultations between the Heads of State and Government from the Igad bloc on the one side and the two sides of the South Sudan Conflict.

President Uhuru Kenyatta, the current rapporteur of Igad, was among the Igad Heads of state and government who had attended the summit to explore ways of finding peace and security to South Sudan.

The other heads of states were Presidents Yoweri Museveni of Uganda, Omar Bashir of Sudan, Paul Kagame of Rwanda and Salva Kiir of South Sudan who is locked in political conflict with his former Vice President Dr. Riek Machar who was present with his team.

The Summit at the Sheraton Hotel, Addis Ababa was also attended by foreign representatives and observers from various institutions including the UN.

Although no details were given over the postponement of the Summit, the unresolved issues on the South Sudan agenda include demands by some of the protagonists for a structured transitional government of national unity with a pre-determined ratio of power sharing.

The other issues causing conflict between the two sides include adequate and mutually agreeable political reforms ahead of the all-inclusive elections scheduled for May this year.

The two sides to the conflict are also yet to agree on the restructuring of the security arrangements considering that each side of the protagonists has its own armed security forces.

They are yet to work on a method to harmonize security forces from the two sides.

The two sides in the conflict are yet to agree on how the massive humanitarian crisis obtaining in the country will be handled.

There are also international concerns that the two sides are yet to embrace calls for total cessation of hostilities.

President Kenyatta arrived at Bole International Airport, Addis Ababa, at 11.10 am accompanied by the First Lady Margaret Kenyatta and Cabinet Secretaries Ann Waiguru (Devolution), Davis Chirchir (Energy) and Henry Rotich of Treasury among other government officials.

He was received at the airport by Foreign Affairs and International Trade CS Ambassador Amina Mohamed , Kenya’s Envoy in Addis Catherine Mwangi and top government officials from Ethiopia.

President Kenyatta is tomorrow expected to attend the 24th Ordinary Session of the African Union while the First Lady attends ther Organization of African First Ladies Against HIV/Aids (OAFLA) meeting in Addis Ababa.

The International Criminal Court (ICC) issue is on top of the AU agenda where members of the continental union are working towards the establishment of an African International criminal court.