R-JMEC gets new interim chairperson

JUBA – The Reconstituted Joint Monitoring and Evaluation Commission (RJMEC), the body overseeing the implementation of South Sudan’s 2018 peace agreement, has appointed Ambassador Major General (rtd) George Aggrey Owinow as its new interim chairperson.

Owinow, nominated by the Kenyan government and endorsed by the East African regional bloc IGAD, succeeds Ambassador Major General (rtd) Charles Tai Gituai, who had held the position since August 2020, RJMEC said in a statement seen by Reuters.

“The Reconstituted Joint Monitoring and Evaluation Commission (RJMEC) announces the appointment of the new RJMEC Interim Chairperson, Ambassador Major General (rtd) George Aggrey Owinow,” the RJMEC said in a statement yesterday.

“Amb Maj Gen Owinow was nominated by the Government of Kenya and subsequently endorsed by the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD). He will succeed the outgoing Chairperson Ambassador Major General (rtd) Charles Tai Gituai, who served in the same capacity since August 2020,” it added.

Owinow brings over four decades of military and diplomatic experience, including service in various security and diplomatic missions across Africa.

His recent roles include serving as Kenya’s High Commissioner to Uganda (2020–2022) and as Deputy Force Commander for the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) (2019–2020).

His appointment, announced on Sunday by the peace monitoring body, comes two weeks before the start of the extended transitional period in South Sudan.

Under the revitalized peace agreement, crucial tasks must be completed to prepare for the country’s elections, now scheduled for December 2026.

These include finalizing the constitutional and electoral framework and establishing security conditions for the vote.

South Sudan, which gained independence in 2011, has never held a general election. Elections were initially planned for December 2024 but were postponed to 2026 due to concerns about the country’s preparedness.

The 2018 peace agreement, signed by President Salva Kiir and his former rival-turned-deputy, Riek Machar, ended a five-year civil war that caused an estimated 400,000 deaths, widespread famine, and displaced millions.

South Sudan is currently facing an economic crisis, with civil servants going unpaid for over a year after its oil exports were disrupted by a damaged pipeline amid the ongoing conflict in neighboring Sudan.