海角大神

A version of this post appeared on聽Enough Said. The views expressed are the author's own.聽

A month ago, the two protagonists in South Sudan鈥檚 civil war聽promised to make peace聽within 60 days. The country鈥檚 president, Salva Kiir and its erstwhile vice president, Riek Machar, recommitted themselves to the terms of a May 2014聽ceasefire聽and pledged to deliver aid to聽the聽1.5 million people聽who have been displaced by violence. In June they promised to figure out what a national unity government would look like within 60 days.聽

Halfway to that deadline, neither man has delivered on his word. Instead, they鈥檝e done almost everything but, issuing bizarre decrees, increasing weapons stockpiles, and generally avoiding the hard work of ending a war.

Here鈥檚 just seven of the unbelievable things South Sudan鈥檚 leaders have done instead spending the past 30 days making peace with one another:

1. Order curfew violators shot dead since only 鈥渨itches鈥� go out at night.

South Sudan鈥檚 Interior Minister Aleu Ayieny Aleu confirmed that he had ordered security forces to shoot and kill anyone who violates the country鈥檚 night-time curfew. When questioned about the curfew by reporters, Aleu聽added: 鈥淚t is only witches who move at night. They steal and kill our people 鈥� shoot them.鈥�

2. Threaten to capture oil fields even if that means attacking the UN.

Opposition leader and former vice president Machar聽told Reuters聽that if fighting resumed, his troops would try to stop production from South Sudan鈥檚 oil fields 鈥� even if United Nations peacekeepers were guarding these installations. Machar added: 鈥淲e won鈥檛 harm oil installations but we will make sure it [output] stops, because it will be used by the government to buy arms.鈥�

3. Stock up on millions of dollars worth of Chinese-made weapons.

Despite their pledge to聽put down their weapons聽and end the fighting, South Sudan鈥檚 government continued with plans to spend millions on Chinese weapons. Bloomberg聽reports聽that a shipment set sail from the Chinese port of Zhanjiang in Guangdong province last month and is now headed to South Sudan via Kenya. Among other things, the South Sudanese government is buying thousands of automatic rifles and grenade launchers, millions bullets for automatic rifles, hundreds of machine guns and pistols, and even anti-tank missiles. An unnamed Western diplomat in Juba聽estimates聽that the South Sudanese government has spent at least $1 billion on new weapons since the civil war began in December 2013. For their part, the armed opposition continues to recruit and train from bases in Ethiopia. To counter these dynamics, the International Crisis Group recently called for an聽arms embargo聽on the region.

4. Refuse to attend multi-stakeholder talks organized in Addis Ababa.

Citing concerns about who was invited to participate in the talks, Machar鈥檚 delegation聽did not show up聽for multi-stakeholder talks hosted by the IGAD mediators in late June 2014. Due to their absence and government protests about the mediator鈥檚 use of the term 鈥渟tupid,鈥� the mediation team was forced to adjourn negotiations. The parties have not been able to agree to sit down for talks at all since then.

5. Celebrate their third independence day by grounding all humanitarian flights.

On July 9, South Sudan commemorated its聽third independence day. Ugandan President Museveni, whose troops are聽fighting聽on behalf of Kiir鈥檚 government, was the聽only regional leader聽to attend the festivities. Nonetheless, the South Sudanese government closed Juba Airport thereby halting all humanitarian flights. Radio Tamazuj explains that the order to close the airport was issued to聽allow visiting dignitaries聽to make unhindered use of the airport. Although incredibly expensive, in South Sudan鈥檚 vast underdeveloped and muddy countryside,聽air drops聽are often the only viable option to deliver food aid to remote areas.

6. Write the UN asking for talks that exclude civil society and other perspectives.

In a聽formal request to the United Nations, Riek Machar made it clear that he preferred direct talks with Kiir鈥檚 government over the broad based multi-stakeholder forum organized by the mediation team. In an effort to avoid another back room deal,聽inclusivity聽has been a touchstone for those trying to facilitate a lasting solution to South Sudan鈥檚 crisis. While the mediators have embraced that priority, many in civil society have questioned the limited way that the聽Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) body have聽implemented that principle in practice.

7. Ban any debate on 鈥渇ederalism鈥� and confiscate all copies of a local newspaper using the word.

After Machar聽embraced rhetoric聽around federalism and greater autonomy for South Sudan鈥檚 regions, Kiir鈥檚 government聽criticized聽those who raised the topic and later聽allegedly bannedany debate on the subject. Security officials are even聽confiscating newspapers聽and threatening editors for daring to use the word.

颁辞诲补:听

When he announced the 60 day deadline, Ethiopian Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn聽told reporters聽in Addis Ababa.鈥渋f they don鈥檛 abide to this agreement, IGAD as an organisation will act to implement peace in South Sudan.鈥�

The Ethiopian prime minister noted that sanctions and (other) punitive actions were all viable options. While briefing the UN Security Council, chief IGAD mediator Amb. Seyoum Mesfin also threw his weight behind the idea of targeted sanctions for non-compliance, including asset freezes, travel bans and possibly the escrow of oil revenues. The United States聽took unilateral action聽by sanctioning two key military commanders in early May 2014. Today, the European Union聽joined in聽with its own sanctions against the same two men.

However, both the UN Security Council and regional governments, like Kenya, Ethiopia and Uganda, have yet to act. The 60 day window for talks about a transitional government is flying by. It鈥檚 time to make that deadline meaningful by making the threat of sanctions an actionable reality.

Akshaya Kumar is a Sudan/South Sudan analyst with the Enough Project. A version of this post also appeared o苍听罢丑颈苍办笔谤辞驳谤别蝉蝉.