Ababu Namwamba, Chief Administrative Secretary at the Kenyan Ministry of Foreign Affairs | photo | Hellen Toby

An official from the Kenyan Ministry of Foreign Affairs says IGAD is under pressure to attain peace in South Sudan.

Chief Administrative Secretary Ababu Namwamba said the region is determined to bring to an end the conflict in the country.

He said the country is at a brink of collapse, adding that it is a responsibility of IGAD to ensure that peace is achieved in South Sudan.

“People are dying, institutions are collapsing, a nation is bleeding, and those are not issues to play around with,” said Namwamba.

“IGAD is under the pressure to secure the best possible deal in the best interest of the people of South Sudan.”

Namwamba spoke to reporters in Addis Ababa on Tuesday evening.

The parties to the HLRF are expected this afternoon to discuss the IGAD proposal.

However, yesterday a political analyst suggested that the African Union should take over the peace process, saying IGAD now lacks the mediation skills.