The call comes as the Executive Director of IGAD, Dr. Workneh Gebeyehu arrived in the South Sudanese capital, Juba on Wednesday for two-day official visit.
The visit, according to regional bloc, is in line with its facilitative role towards implementing the September 2018 revitalised peace agreement in South Sudan.
During the visit, however, the IGAD Executive Director is expected to hold meetings with various entities in South Sudan, including the Presidency and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. He will also meet leaders and representatives of the Trilateral Mechanism, the African Union (AU), the United Nations (UN) and IGAD.
Edmund Yakani, the Executive Director of Community Empowerment for Progress Organization (CEPO) said Workneh should meet all stakeholders during his visit.
“It is essential to listen to the various voices of South Sudanese than always attending to political elites only during your field visits. IGAD should be a citizens’ voices-focused regional body and this trend of or practice of inclusivity has to be gained through external pressure or after stressful campaign,” he observed.
The activist expressed concerns that the regional bloc ignores voices of citizens.
“It has been observed multiple times that the IGAD Executive Director normally visits Juba, but with less focus on meeting with citizens or stakeholders. This undermines the home-grown pressure. It is only the IGAD Special Envoy to South Sudan that embraces direct meetings with stakeholders more,” he noted.
Yakani urged the political leaders to seriously adhere to the continuous remarkable efforts of IGAD to ensure peace and stability prevails in South Sudan.
“The primary responsibility for making peace and stability realized in South Sudan rest with decisions of South Sudan political leaders not IGAD. IGAD is only creating a conducive environment for South Sudan political leaders to demonstrates their primary responsibility for making peace and stability happen,” he stressed.
Elections are scheduled for December 2024, but peace monitors and observers say the government hasn’t built up the structure necessary for free and fair polls.
Over the past few weeks, the United States imposed visa restrictions related to South Sudan’s political instability and repression of activists and dissidents.
IGAD pledged to support South Sudan as it works to build on its aspirations.
