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Southern Sudanese Govt Signs ‘Rome Declaration’ With Alliance of Opposition Factions

Southern Sudanese Govt Signs ‘Rome Declaration’ With Alliance of Opposition Factions
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Southern Sudanese Govt Signs ‘Rome Declaration’ With Alliance of Opposition Factions

Southern Sudanese Govt Signs ‘Rome Declaration’ With Alliance of Opposition Factions

An alliance of opposition factions signed on Monday a peace agreement with South Sudanese government to stop the hostilities and continue the political dialogue in order to participate in the ongoing peace process in the country.

The Rome Declaration on the Peace Process in South Sudan was signed in Rome between the government and South Sudan Opposition Movements Alliance (SSOMA).

The SSOMA is an opposition coalition that refused to sign the 2018 peace agreement.

Talks were organized by the Roman Catholic Sant’ Egidio peace group and in presence of the SPLM/A-10 and NDM and the IGAD.

Signatories of the agreement reaffirmed their desire to promote political dialogue in order to facilitate reconciliation and achieve stability by addressing what they called "the root causes of the conflict in South Sudan."

It was signed by Barnaba Marial Benjamin, who headed the government delegation, leaders of the opposition alliance including Thomas Cirillo Swaka, Paul Malong Awan Anei, and Pagan Amum Okiech as well as the leaders of the three other groups.

They stressed they “are now convinced that the current conflict in the country requires comprehensive political participation in order to achieve a comprehensive and sustainable peace with non-signatories of the peace agreement.”

“We have agreed that the dialogue would continue under the auspices of the Catholic Church in consultation with the Intergovernmental Authority on Development in East Africa (IGAD) and with the support of regional organizations and the international community,” they added.

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Lebanon's Parliament Renews Army Chief's Term in First Session after Ceasefire

Lebanese policeman stand outside the parliament building in downtown Beirut, Lebanon October 17, 2017. (Reuters)
Lebanese policeman stand outside the parliament building in downtown Beirut, Lebanon October 17, 2017. (Reuters)
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Lebanon's Parliament Renews Army Chief's Term in First Session after Ceasefire

Lebanese policeman stand outside the parliament building in downtown Beirut, Lebanon October 17, 2017. (Reuters)
Lebanese policeman stand outside the parliament building in downtown Beirut, Lebanon October 17, 2017. (Reuters)

Lebanon's parliament Thursday renewed the term of army chief Joseph Aoun, who is seen as a potential presidential candidate in next year's vote.

The parliament has seldom met since Israel’s war with Hezbollah began 14 months ago, and has not convened to try to elect a president since June 2023, leaving the country in a political gridlock.

Thursday’s session is the first since a US-brokered ceasefire came into effect on Wednesday which has left the Lebanese military responsible for ensuring Hezbollah fighters leave the country's south and its facilities dismantled. The army is expected to receive international aid to help deploy troops to deploy in the south to exert full state control there, The AP reported.

Gen. Joseph Aoun is seen as a likely presidential candidate due to his close relationship with the international community and his hold on an institution that is seen as a rare point of unity in the country facing political and sectarian tensions. Lebanon has been without a president since Oct. 31, 2022.

It is unclear whether the decision to renew Aoun's term will impact his chances as Lebanon's next president.

Hezbollah and some of its key allies and their legislators have been skeptical of a Aoun presidency due to his close relationship with Washington.

Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, who spearheaded negotiations with the United States to end the war, also called for parliament to convene on Jan. 9, 2025 to elect a president, the first attempt in almost 19 months.

French special envoy Jean-Yves Le Drian, tasked by French President Emmanuel Macron with helping Lebanon break its political deadlock, observed the session before meeting with Berri and later caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati.

Berri, in an address Wednesday, urged political parties to pick a president that will bring Lebanon's rival groups together, in a bid to keep the war-torn and financially battered country from further deteriorating amid fears of internal political tensions between Hezbollah and its political opponents following the war.

The militant group's opponents, who believe Hezbollah should be completely disarmed, are furious that it made the unilateral decision to go to war with Israel in solidarity with its ally Hamas in the Gaza Strip.