Kiir-Machar trust being eroded by cross-party defections – peace monitors

JUBA – South Sudan peace monitors have warned that continued defection of senior military and political figures from the main armed opposition Sudan People’s Liberation Movement in Opposition to South Sudan People’s Defense Force and SPLM-IG is derailing the trust created by the revitalized peace agreement between the parties.

Recently, Gen. Johnson Kuol Gai, former military governor of the defunct opposition Phow state, defected from First Vice President Dr. Riek Machar Teny to SSPDF under President Salva Kiir, and coupled with the August 3^rd Kit-Gwang declaration in which General Simon Gatwech Dual attempted to remove Machar as the group’s leader.

Addressing the 20^th R-JMEC Plenary meeting in Juba this morning, Maj. Gen. Charles Tai Gituai Chairperson of the Reconstituted Joint Monitoring and Evaluation Commission (RJMEC) said military defections are derailing the implementation of the security arrangement that includes the graduation of the unified forces.

“Defections of senior military officials, mainly from the SPLA-IO to SSPDF erode trust amongst the two parties and public confidence in the peace process,” Gituai said during the 20^th RJMEC monthly meeting in Juba on Thursday.

Gituai said the delay of unification and redeployment of the unified forces has contributed to growing frustration among the forces in training centers.

“The process is impeded by the delayed enactment of the six amended security-related legislations, and the lapse of the National Constitutional Amendment Committee mandated before completion of critical tasks including amendment of election law,” Gituai said.

Charles Tai Gituai said as peace monitors they are concerned about the transitional security arrangements especially the unification of the necessary unified forces, their deployment, and the DDR process.

“It is now two months since the Presidency directed the deployment of three assessment teams to Training Centers in preparation for the graduation of phase one of the Necessary Unified Forces,” he said.

“I understand that these teams have not yet left Juba due to lack of funding and logistical support. It is disheartening to see that this directive of the Presidency has not been carried out,” he added.