Juba, September 22, 2015 (SSNA) — South Sudanese government on Tuesday asked Lawmakers to support and back the IGAD-Plus’s compromise peace agreement which was signed last month by the rival factions.
The call comes as Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni indicates willingness to withdraw his troops from South Sudan.
Vice president James Wani Igga said his government is committed to peace and its implementation, adding that anyone who does not like the deal should “stomach it.”
"We are committed to peace, and we are committed to implement this agreement. If there is anybody affected by this agreement please stomach it… there are good things in this agreement,” James Wani Igga told the visibly nervous lawmakers.
Igga, who cautiously addressed the parliament, urged the people of south Sudan to support peace which he said should be the “last war.”
"We are not blind, we are simply saying, ‘this and that is wrong’, but it is not meant to stop the agreement from implementation. South Sudanese, let this be the last war,” Igga said.
Kampala began fighting alongside Juba against rebel forces just days after the civil war broke out in December 2013. Yoweri Museveni famously announced that he gave rebel leader Dr. Riek Machar 3-4 days to stop fighting and surrender himself to Juba.
Uganda has been accused of serious crimes against humanity. In November 2014, the Uganda People’s Defence Force (UPDF) asked the SPLA-IO to either "surrender or be wiped out." In February 2014, Ugandan government was accused by the United Nations (UN) of using cluster bombs against the armed opposition and civilians in Jonglei State.
The involvement of Ugandan military in South Sudan angers rebels. Ugandan government has been claiming that Juba has asked Kampala for a military assistance.
Museveni told Machar last week in Khartoum that he is ready to withdraw Ugandan troops from south Sudan.
The power-sharing deal calls for all foreign troops to withdraw from south Sudan within 45 days.