R-JMEC chief says his calls for peace implementation falling on deaf ears

JUBA – The chairperson of South Sudan’s Reconstituted Joint Monitoring and Evaluation Commission (R-JMEC), Charles Tai Gituai, is saying that his calls for the parties to the revitalized peace agreement to increase their volume of the implementation of the revitalized peace agreement are falling on deaf ears, urging the leaders to implement the deal to achieve lasting peace in the world’s youngest country.

President Salva Kiir and his first deputy, Dr. Riek Machar Teny, who is also the chairperson of the main armed opposition group, SPLM-IO, have been struggling to implement the revitalized peace agreement they signed over two years ago, and calls – including from regional and international partners – to respect the implementation of the deal haven’t yield fruit.

In recent months, escalation of fighting in several parts of the country’s Equatoria region and parts of Upper Nile have raised concerns of a possible return to war as parties involved accused each other of internationally violating ceasefire agreement which has been holding in many parts of the country since September 2018.

Speaking following a meeting with President Salva Kiir on Thursday, Gituai raised alarm over the parties’ lack of action despite his calls for recommitment to the implementation of the deal, renewing his calls to the parties to move ahead in the implementation of the agreement which he said has been so low for the last one year.

“On several occasions, I have urged for the pace of implementation to increase, but this has not happened, and much of the same issues are still outstanding even as 2020 draws to a close,” Gituai said on Thursday.

“I therefore urge all the Parties, stakeholders, all partners, friends and the people of South Sudan, not to lose sight of this goal. The implementation of the agreement is important to lay a firm foundation for the conduct of democratic elections at the end of the transitional period,” he added.

The peace monitoring body’s chief further urged the peace partners to urgently resolve the ongoing dispute over the appointment of the governor of oil-rich Upper Nile State, complete the reconstitution of parliament and also finalize the process of making a permanent constitution for South Sudan.

“I call upon all parties to engage constructively and agree on a roadmap that will make the constitution-making process inclusive and participatory, within the timeline and parameters envisaged by the agreement,” Gituai said.

“Let us use this Christmas season as a period of reflection. May we all recommit ourselves to the pursuit of peace and return in the new year refreshed and ready to go the extra mile,” he stressed.