Gov’t to address ‘confusion’ surrounding extension of transitional period

JUBA, FEBRUARY 20th 2023 (SUDANS POST) — South Sudan’s Cabinet Minister, Martin Elia Lomuro, said Monday that there is confusion in transitioning from the currently transitional period ending on Wednesday to the extended roadmap.

In August last year, the parties agreed to extend the transitional period of by two years, a decision they said is aimed at addressing challenges that impeded the implementation of the agreement during the current transitional period.

According to the roadmap extending the transitional period, the 24-month extension begins in February 2023 and ends in February 2025 with elections to be held in December 2024, two months before its end.

Speaking to reporters after the meeting of the High-Level Standing Committee, a body tasked to oversee the implementation of the 2018 peace agreement, Lomuro said they had misunderstandings on various issues related to the extended transition period.

“The High-Level Standing Committee responsible for the implementation of the agreement on the Resolution of Conflict in the Republic of South Sudan met this morning to discuss the critical matter in relation to the transition from the transitional period under article 2.3.1 for the R-ARCSS and transition to the extended transitional period of the R-ARCSS in the roadmap, we have considered confusion in fact misunderstanding in various ways about what will happen on Wednesday,” Lomuro told reporters after meeting on Monday.

Lomuro revealed that the committee will hold a press conference on Tuesday to address the issues related to the transition to the roadmap.

“That press conference will deliver a message from High-Level Standing Committee on the matter of transition from the transitional period of R-ARCSS to an extended transitional period with a roadmap.”

“This is considered to be very important because we want to make sure the public understands, everybody understands what is what, and that message will be clear tomorrow.”

He invited diplomats, members of civil society, and faith-based groups to address the matter.

“We have also invited diplomats and we have spoken to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to deliver that message so that they can come to hear for themselves the message,” he said.

“We invited civil society; they are also partners in the agreement. We have also invited the academia and faith-based groups and organizations that wish to attend and any individuals who wish to share with us the message.”