South Sudan parties urged to expedite peace implementation

JUBA – A South Sudan civil society watchdog has appealed to the country’s parties to the revitalized peace agreement to expedite the implementation of the revitalized peace agreement saying ongoing delays to reconstitute the independent national commissions and the state legislative assembly was a source of concern.

In a statement extended to Sudans Post this afternoon, the Community Empowerment for Progress Organization (CEPO) urged the parties to the revitalized peace agreement to recommit to the implementation of the revitalized peace agreement saying delays have remained despite the progress made in some areas by the parties.

“Parties to the Revitalized Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in South Sudan’s should demonstrate the political will required for the full implementation of the peace deal, Community Empowerment for Progress Organization (CEPO) said on Friday,” the statement said.

“Concerns still remain on delays to reconstitute independent commissions at the national level as well as the reconstitution of state legislative assemblies and local government legislative councils.  The delays in the implementation of the peace deal, especially the security arrangements, have also been expressed by the Revitalized Joint Monitoring and Evaluation Commission (R-JMEC),” the statement added.

The CEPO’s Executive Director Edmund Yakani said “Without the genuine implementation of the transitional security arrangements, the pathway to transition societies of South Sudan from violence to peace is very long.”

“Political will to implement the transitional security arrangements is required from the parties with the primary responsibility to make peace and security prevails in South Sudan,” he added.

The statement said the “CEPO acknowledged roles played by the African Union and Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) to ensure parties involved in South Sudan’s civil war sign the peace accord.”

The statement said South Sudan parties “still have deficit in trust and confidence among themselves as well as the internal differences among their party members. This has complicated the responsibility sharing process among parties, lack of consensus on the formula for the unification of the security and defense command structure which leads to unification of ranks in security and defense institutions and new and misinterpretation of some provisions of the peace agreement by the parties and among their members.”