JUBA – South Sudan government has been told to respect its obligation under the 2018 revitalized peace agreement and disseminate the peace deal to the grassroots citizens amid slow pace in the implementation of the deal.
Under the revitalized peace agreement, parties to the deal, former ITGONU, SPLM-IO, South Sudan Opposition Alliance (SSOA), OPP and the SPLM-FDs, shall disseminate the agreement to the people in the grassroots.
However, such provision of the agreement has not been made and the SPLM-IO at some point last year accused the government of President Salva Kiir Mayardit of single-handedly working to disseminate the peace agreement.
In a statement on Monday, the Juba-based Center for Peace and Advocacy (CPA) said it is concerned over what it said is ‘silence’ from the unity government on the disseminate of the revitalized peace agreement saying there was need for the agreement to be hard by all the citizens in the country.
“The Center for Peace and Advocacy (CPA) has today expressed concerns over the silence of the Revitalised Transitional Government of National Unity (TGoNU) in the country. CPA is calling on the R-TGoNU to disseminate the Revitalized Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in the Republic of South Sudan (R-ARCSS) to the countrywide,” the rights group said in a statement.
“Thus, there is a need for wide spread dissemination of the R-ARCSS to make sure that the people of South Sudan including the refugees understand and support it. Importantly, in the process of dissemination, more emphasis should be put on Chapter five of the Agreement that deals with Transitional Justice, Accountability, Reconciliation, reparation, Compensation and Healing. When the citizens of South Sudan especially the victims have understood this Chapter, they will support and campaign for its implementation.
“This stems from the fact that proper understanding of R-ARCSS by the people of South Sudan is a precondition for its success. It is our hope that once the people of South Sudan have properly understood the R-ARCSS, they will “support and own it.”
“The Ministry of Peace-building, National Pre- Transitional Committee should be the lead and its partners in the dissemination of the R-ARCSS to make sure that the people of South Sudan including the refugees understand and support it. The peace agreement should create avenues like civic space in the human rights for the civil society organizations and human rights defenders to operate without restrictions from the government.
“In article 1.2.2 the implement the Agreement and restore, permanent, sustainable peace, security are stability in the country. In article 1.2.3 expedite of relief, protection, voluntary and dignified repatriation,rehabilitation, resettlement, and reintegration of IDPs and returnees, working closely with the United Nations and other international agencies. 1.2.4 Facilitate and oversee a people- driven process of national reconciliation and healing through an independent mechanism in accordance with the agreement.
“It’s our hopes that the dissemination of Peace Agreement will provide advocacy platform to generate discussions, share information and take action on the challenges and recommendations on how to effectively implement this Agreement to achieve everlasting peace in South Sudan.
“But more importantly, the R-ARCSS must be implemented in letter and spirit because it is the only hope for the IDPs refugees and the whole of South Sudan; otherwise we are sitting on a ticking time-bomb.”
