South Sudan peace deal on brink of collapse — SPLM-IO

JUBA — The South Sudan’s main armed opposition group, the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-in-Opposition (SPLM-IO), led by First Vice President Dr. Riek Machar Teny, said the 2018 peace agreement is alleged to be on the brink of collapse due to its violations.

Oyet Nathaniel Pierino, Deputy Chairman of SPLM-IO, accused its partner, SPLM, of having violated the Revitalized Agreement on Resolution of Conflict in South Sudan, which was signed in Addis Ababa on September 12, 2018.

“There is now no part of the R-ARCSS that has not been violated and taken together, and without having a mechanism of addressing systematic violations, it is now fair to say the R-ARCSS is at the crossroads and brink of collapse,” Oyet said in a statement issued on Saturday.

According to Oyet, the recent removal of their officials without consultation and the imprisonment of their political and military leaders have put the peace agreement at a crossroads.

“The ongoing systematic violations of the R-ARCSS and particularly its security arrangements showcase the imminent collapse of the R-ARCSS,” he said.

According to him, these infractions force peace parties and guarantors to shift from implementing peace to mitigating and managing conflicts.

“The guarantors, parties, and particularly SPLM/SPLA-IO have effectively moved from peace implementation to conflict mitigation, conflict management, and damage control instead of peace implementation as the deadline of the extended period draws near.”

He urged their partner, the SPLM, to put the nation’s peace and stability first, claiming that the SPLM-IO no longer has faith in the SPLM.

“The fact that the once-peace partner can also arrest, detain, and torture members of the principal peace partner has not only demonstrated the level of deterioration in the security arrangements but also the collapse of the agreement.”