Kiir violated peace deal for revoking appointment of opposition lawmaker – advocacy

JUBA – South Sudan’s President Salva Kiir Mayardit violated the revitalized peace agreement when he decided to revoke the appointment of opposition member of the Reconstituted Transitional National Legislative Assembly (R-TNLA) Dharuai Mabor Teny, according to a local advocacy organization.

In a Republican Decree readout on the state-owned South Sudan Broadcasting Corporation (SSBC) on October 27, President Kiir revoked the appointment of MP Dharuai Mabor Teny who was representing Rumbek East in the Reconstituted Transitional National Legislative Assembly (R-TNLA) on the ticket of the opposition National Agenda alliance.

Though the South Sudanese head of state did not give reasons for sacking, several South Sudanese social media activists took to Facebook and Twitter to condemn the presidential decision as a backstabbing of young people in the country and a violation of the revitalized peace agreement Kiir signed with opposition groups in September 2018.

In a statement extended to Sudans Post on October 29, the Center for Peace and Advocacy (CPA) said the decision of the president is a violation of the revitalized peace agreement and urged President Salva Kiir Mayardit to reconsider the decision which it said was going to set a very bad precedent for the implementation of the 2018 peace agreement.

“The Center for Peace and Advocacy (CPA) urges President Salva Kiir to reconsider his decision on the revocation of the appointment of Hon: Dharuai Mabor Teny. CPA is deeply concerned about the violation of the Revitalized Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in the Republic of South Sudan (R-ARCSS) by the President,” the statement said.

Ter Manyang Gatwech, the Executive Director of CPA said South Sudan leaders “should have minimum tolerance when it comes to the implementation of the Revitalized Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in the Republic of South Sudan (R-ARCSS).”

It argued that 30 lawmakers in the parliament “do not have any powers to make revocation of the appointment of Hon. Dharuai Mabor Teny without consultation of the OPP leader in which Hon. Dharuai Mabor Teny belong accordance to this the Revitalized Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in the Republic of South Sudan (R-ARCSS).”

“CPA urges all the stakeholders to read and understand the Revitalized Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in the Republic of South Sudan (R-ARCSS) for its interpretation, Article 1.14.6. Which says duration and term of the reconstituted TNL shall run concurrently with that of the RTGoNU, as per the terms of this Agreement, until such time as elections are held,” the statement added.