Regional leaders are gearing up for an urgent virtual summit to prevent a potentially catastrophic meltdown in South Sudan. The Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) is calling together eight heads of state to tackle the escalating tensions between President Salva Kiir and First Vice-President Dr. Riek Machar that threaten to spark another devastating civil war.
Djibouti's President Israel Omar Guelleh, serving as the current IGAD chairman, will lead the 43rd extraordinary meeting. The gathering includes heavyweight regional leaders like Uganda's Yoweri Museveni, Kenya's William Ruto, Sudan's Abdel Fattah al-Bruhan, Somalia's Hassan Sheikh Mohamoud, Eritrea's Isaias Afwerki, and Ethiopia's Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed Ali.
IGAD sees itself as the critical peacekeeper, having previously brokered two separate peace agreements between warring factions. Their 2018 Revitalised Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in South Sudan represents their most recent attempt to stabilize the volatile nation. However, recent events in Juba and Nasir suggest these efforts might be unraveling rapidly.
Tensions have reached a boiling point with the arrest of key military figures, including South Sudan's Deputy Chief of Defense Forces, Lt. Gen. Gabriel Duop Lam, and the Minister of Petroleum, Puot Kang. The U.S. Department of State has already characterized the situation as an active armed conflict involving multiple political and ethnic groups, with weapons widely available and frequent violent cattle raids destabilizing the region.
Djibouti's President Israel Omar Guelleh, serving as the current IGAD chairman, will lead the 43rd extraordinary meeting. The gathering includes heavyweight regional leaders like Uganda's Yoweri Museveni, Kenya's William Ruto, Sudan's Abdel Fattah al-Bruhan, Somalia's Hassan Sheikh Mohamoud, Eritrea's Isaias Afwerki, and Ethiopia's Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed Ali.
IGAD sees itself as the critical peacekeeper, having previously brokered two separate peace agreements between warring factions. Their 2018 Revitalised Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in South Sudan represents their most recent attempt to stabilize the volatile nation. However, recent events in Juba and Nasir suggest these efforts might be unraveling rapidly.
Tensions have reached a boiling point with the arrest of key military figures, including South Sudan's Deputy Chief of Defense Forces, Lt. Gen. Gabriel Duop Lam, and the Minister of Petroleum, Puot Kang. The U.S. Department of State has already characterized the situation as an active armed conflict involving multiple political and ethnic groups, with weapons widely available and frequent violent cattle raids destabilizing the region.
