South Sudan parliament changes tone on Vice-President Igga’s summon

JUBA – South Sudan’s transitional parliament has clarified that it will summon eleven ministers from the economic cluster chaired by Vice President James Wani Igga, not Igga himself, to explain the causes of the looming hunger crisis in the country.

Oliver Mori, spokesperson for the National Legislative Assembly, made the clarification on Friday after previously stating that Igga would be summoned. He had said that Igga must appear before the parliament alongside 11 ministers from the economic cluster.

“The Vice president will appear in the preliminary together with the members of economic cluster to explain to the parliament the course for the looming hunger in the Republic of South Sudan,” Mori had told journalists last week.

However, Mori backtracked during a press conference today, explaining that only the relevant ministries would be called upon.

“A resolution was passed that the economic cluster ministers have to be summoned to come to the House to explain about the reasons that culminated into hunger in the Republic of South Sudan,” he said.

The eleven ministries summoned include finance and planning, petroleum, mining, agriculture and food security, and livestock and fisheries. Trade and industry, environment, water resources and irrigation, land, housing and urban development, wildlife conservation and tourism, and investment are also included.

“These are the eleven ministries under the economic cluster. The resolution of the Parliament was that these people must report to Parliament to explain in person,” Mori added.

He further explained that each minister would be accompanied by technical experts to facilitate inquiries from the House.

Mori cited the 2018 peace agreement as preventing the parliament from summoning vice presidents.

“As per the agreement, we have the collective responsibility – the president and the five vice presidents, they are treated as an entity,” he said. “The chairs of the clusters are overseers and they don’t have executive powers over the Ministers performing their duties.”

According to Mori, any summons would be directed at the relevant minister, not the vice president.

“If there is anything, it is the minister concerned in that cluster to deal with [or] to answer in Parliament,” he said.

“The Parliament did not summon the Vice President for Economic Cluster on the basis that he is part of the colloquial presidency, and he doesn’t have an executive power over the Ministers performing their duties,” he added.

This clarification comes amid rising concerns about food insecurity in South Sudan. Last week, MP Stephen Bol from Unity State highlighted the worsening situation in his constituency and urged for immediate action.

The parliamentarians acknowledged the nationwide nature of the crisis, prompting the summons of not only the economic cluster ministers but also the governors of Unity, Upper Nile, and Eastern Equatoria states, along with the chief administrator of Ruweng Administrative Area.

While Article 82.1 of the transitional constitution empowers the parliament to summon any public official except the president, Mori argued that the revitalized peace agreement supersedes the constitution.

“Any institution that is set up by the Agreement is above the Constitution,” he said. “This is how we are dealing with issues here now in the parliament until this agreement comes to an end by the elections.”