Citizens in Eastern Equatoria urge political will to implement peace deal

TORIT – Citizens in Eastern Equatoria state have called on the revitalized government of national unity to demonstrate political will and fully commit to implementing the peace agreement in both letter and spirit.

Visor Likali Olum, a state member of parliament from the SPLM-IO ticket told Sudans Post yesterday Tuesday that the two-year extension was rushed, but if parties commit to the same approach, progress could be made in the right direction.

“You imagine now this extension did not take two weeks, everybody rushed it in a short time. If we are to commit to implementing the peace agreement the way we have quickly rushed to the extension, it will be very good for us,” he said.

“So, we are saying it’s not meant for bad but to avert chaos because if we are to ask the people of South Sudan today, if we don’t extend, what option do we have in our hands? Of course, the country will go into chaos, and going into chaos is something destructive for our citizens. So, it’s better we give ourselves space to continue dialogue,” Likali added.

MP Visor Likali encouraged stakeholders to address the lack of political will, as well as issues related to funding, and to identify those blocking the disbursement of funds to facilitate peace implementation.

“This time, this extension, to my personal view, is that we need to address the lack of political will. Who is that politician unwilling to implement the peace agreement? Another issue, based on our experience, is the lack of funding,” he said.

“Who is blocking the funds? Because if this is the peace that will stabilize our country, that will bring development, that will settle our people, why can’t we avail the funds? Why can’t we show the will to implement it? These are the two areas that need to be addressed this time. We need to address political will, and we need to address the lack of funding,” added Likali.

He also stated that God would not miraculously provide funds to implement the agreement, emphasizing that it is the responsibility of South Sudanese as a united people to spearhead efforts to generate funds for the remaining protocols.

“Although there will be other charities from our neighbors, we should be the first people because this is what will stabilize our country,” added Likali.

Dominic Koboss Ojuru, a resident of Torit and a student at the Whitaker Peace and Development Initiative, praised the presidency for extending the election timeline to 2026, which would allow time for the census to be conducted and for refugees to return home for resettlement.

He added that elections involve many processes, including voter registration and education, to ensure voters like him understand the general procedures.

“When we talk about this election process, there is no implementation. What I would like to say is, as a youth, when they talk about this extension of elections, it’s really touching. Yes, elections cannot easily proceed when other things are not implemented. When we talk about the census, refugee voter registration, and education awareness, voters like me need to understand the general processes,” he said.

“How can we go for elections when we don’t know the population of the people? They talk about using the census of 2010, but at that time, I was young. Many have grown up now and are eligible to vote. The extension is okay when we talk about democracy, but the problem is now affecting us in our community and the country at large, with the increase in the dollar and other issues. If the government fails to implement everything, even the elections will not go well,” explained Dominic.

Awadiya Mary Albino, a 25-year-old student, called on political leaders to prioritize the country and work for the betterment of all citizens to build trust and hope among communities in South Sudan.

She expressed concern over the ongoing economic hardship and continued inter-ethnic conflicts, which she said are shattering people’s dreams of a peaceful South Sudan, despite the government’s extension of the transitional period for another two years.

“As the government extends the election issue, if you can imagine 2010 when the election was conducted, we were still young, not yet 15 years old, but we saw people doing relatively well. Although we were young, life was better. People were not shedding blood as badly as now, and prices of goods were not skyrocketing like today,” she said.

“Those who were poor were at least managing, and orphans were able to study, despite the former bad conditions. Unlike today’s situation, the government is doing little to control the market in the country. Most of our people are still outside, so when will they be brought back? I urge the government to bring our people back so we can join hands to vote together in a peaceful environment,” she added.

Torit Day Secondary School students also stressed that the country’s political leaders need to embrace peace and unity by being patriotic to encourage citizens at the grassroots level.