IGAD asked to consider ‘broad-based’ political process involving holdout groups

JUBA – The People’s Coalition for Civil Action (PCCA) has appealed to the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) to accept that the revitalized peace deal has failed and consider what the group said would be a ‘broad-based’ political process involving non-signatories to 2018 peace agreement.

IGAD is the regional bloc that mediated Revitalized Agreement for Resolution of Conflict in the Republic of South Sudan (R-ARCISS) in 2018. It was also the same body that mediated the ARCISS which collapsed in 2016.

In the memo, the PCCA argued that the revitalized peace agreement is no longer viable, but a disaster that justify that the world’s youngest country needs a new political process involving those who did not sign the revitalized peace agreement.

“The time has come to recognize the obvious and consider looking beyond the R-ARCSS and beyond the confines of the power-sharing arrangements. The R-ARCSS is no longer a viable framework for peace. It has, in fact, been a disaster for the people of South Sudan,” the memo extended to Sudans Post reads in part.

“A new broad-based political dialogue, involving the parties to the R-ARCSS, those involved in the Rome process, armed groups that are not part of the Rome process, nonviolent political forces, and the broader civil society. This political dialogue should be complimentary to the outcomes of the grassroots South Sudan National Dialogue,” it added.

The PCC said the new political process does not aim at another power-sharing government, but would “work on a shared vision for South Sudan, establish new rules of the political game, and build consensus on constitutional matters. The dialogue should aim at ending violence, saving lives, uniting the nation, building a new political consensus, and preparing for elections.”

The group also called “for a new security arrangement that would include all armed groups, including the national army. The unification of these forces will need a resolution of the African Union Peace and Security Council and the UN Security Council Resolution, authorizing UNMISS and special military experts from the United States, China, United Kingdom, and IGAD countries to oversee the integration process. All the forces should have a representative in the unification mechanism.

“The justification for a new security arrangement is rooted in the apparent impossibility of implementing the existing security pact. Second, the existing South Sudan military is privatized, personalized, and divided. You cannot guarantee a stable democratic state without a firm foundation.

“A firm foundation rests on a non-partisan, unified national army that pays allegiance to the flag and the constitution and not personalities.  If we are to achieve a unified national army that is detached from politics and personalities, an external intervention is needed both to raise the cost for violators and to provide a much-needed impartiality, expertise, and resources for the exercise.”