Shortly after the early June 2014 agreement was signed to form a transitional government of national unity within 60 days, on 23 June 2014, the Intergovernmental Authority on Development
(IGAD)-led peace talks on South Sudan have adjourned the multi-stakeholders’ consultations. It is to be recalled that the South Sudanese government threatened to withdraw from the IGAD mediation after the Executive Secretary of the IGAD, Eng. Mahboub Maalim, allegedly said that
the warring parties were “stupid” if they thought they could win militarily. Both the government and the rebel group complained about the Executive Secretary’s remarks. South Sudan’s Information Minister told Iranian Press TV that his government was capable of continuing the
peace talks without IGAD in any other forum where the parties would be ‘dignified’ and ‘respected’. The minister also added that his government has written a letter of complaint to the Chairman of IGAD and the Ethiopian Prime Minister, demanding that action be taken against the
Executive Secretary of IGAD. Despite the undiplomatic wording of the recent statement by the IGAD Executive Secretary, his statement was merely a restatement of the position shared by IGAD and the AU, that the crisis in South Sudan is political and cannot be solved militarily, thus only through a peaceful process.
