By William Davison
(Bloomberg) — The East African group mediating South
Sudan’s civil war plans to force rival factions to form a
transitional government by July 9 after another round of talks
failed, Ethiopian Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn said.
The initiative, about which no further details were
provided, comes after more than a year of talks overseen by the
Intergovernmental Authority on Development, a regional bloc,
were unable to end clashes between South Sudanese government
forces and rebels led by former Vice President Riek Machar,
according to Hailemariam.
“Together, we will hold the parties to their commitment to
form a transitional government by July of this year,” the
premier, who is also the chair of IGAD, said Friday in a
statement handed to reporters in Ethiopia’s capital, Addis
Ababa. “IGAD, joined by the friends of South Sudan from Africa
and abroad, intends to implement a common plan and table a
reasonable and comprehensive solution to end the crisis.”
Conflict erupted in December 2013 in the oil-producing
country when a power struggle within the ruling party turned
violent. After President Salva Kiir arrested rivals for
allegedly plotting a coup and ethnic Nuer accused soldiers loyal
to the president of targeting them, commanders rebelled in three
states.

‘We’re Nowhere’

Machar, a Nuer, fled the capital, Juba, and became head of
the insurgent forces. Thousands of people have died and almost 2
million have been driven from their homes, according to the
United Nations.
Kiir and Machar held talks over the past four days in
Ethiopia without reaching an agreement on key issues including
the leadership structure of an interim administration, sharing
power within ministries and parliament and how to re-integrate a
fractured army, Machar said. “We’re nowhere. There’s
disagreement all over,” he said in an interview in the
Ethiopian capital on Friday.
Pleas for Kiir and Machar to compromise and meet a pledge
to agree on the transitional government this week were ignored,
said Hailemariam.
“IGAD has tried to mediate the crisis as best it can, but
we must acknowledge that our efforts have not yet produced the
necessary results,” he said. “Our efforts cannot continue
unaltered and expect a different outcome; the peace process must
be reinvigorated and reformed.”
Consultations will take place in coming days with regional
and international leaders on the plan of action, he said. “We
will use all influence at our disposal to convince those that
remain intransigent,” Hailemariam said.

Sanctions Committee

The UN Security Council agreed on March 3 to set up a
sanctions committee to identify individuals who’re blocking the
peace process and committing violations. Punitive actions may
include an arms embargo, travel bans and asset freezes.
The IGAD process should continue as the parties will strike
a deal next time, South Sudanese Information Minister Michael
Makuei Lueth said.
“IGAD will continue to be in charge because this is an
African process,” he told reporters Friday. “There is no
question of us talking about the so-called international
community.”
Any external efforts to force a solution could be counter-
productive, Dhieu Mathok, the head of a rebel foreign-relations
committee, said.
“Whenever you impose a plan, especially on conflict
resolution, it will not be sustainable,” he said in an
interview Friday. “It’s better to allow the parties to
negotiate the peaceful settlement.”