JUBA-The African Union (AU), the United Nations Missions in South Sudan (UNMISS), and the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) have called on South Sudanese political leaders to make 2025 a pivotal year for 2018 peace implementation.
In a joint statement issued on Monday, the peace guarantors urged the government to prioritize the implementation of pending peace to pave the way for the 2026 elections.
“Acknowledge the progress made by the government and parties to the Revitalised Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in the Republic of South Sudan (R-ARCSS) in 2024 and wish to emphasize that 2025 is a pivotal year to prioritize the remaining tasks necessary for the implementation of the Revitalised Agreement,” it said in a statement seen by Sudans Post.
The bodies acknowledged the progress made by the government in sustaining peace in the country.
“We recognize the peace achieved through the sustained ceasefire and encourage the immediate completion of the deployment of the remaining necessary unified forces as well as the broader transitional security arrangements to maintain stability.”
The missions commended the parties for commencing work on the constitution-making and electoral processes.
The missions, however, remained concerned over delay in vital transitional tasks, which led to the decision to extend the transition period again this past September.
They welcomed the goodwill demonstrated by South Sudanese President Salva Kiir in seeking the assistance of Kenyan President William Ruto on the stalled mediation with the holdout groups, leading to the Tumaini Initiative.
“We also commend President Kiir’s endorsement of the Inter-Party Dialogue to review the roadmap and determine a refined approach to the overall implementation of the R-ARCSS. We urge that follow-up negotiations yield constructive consensus in both processes,” it said.
They encouraged the president to make assurance that the latest extension will be the last and were persuaded further by the pledge that the country will not return to war.
“We urge the government to seize the opportunity presented by the new extension of the transitional period to address its core issue of funding expeditiously. We urge that the extension be pursued with consensus, inclusivity, and collegiality, moving away from the business-as-usual approach on critical transitional tasks.”
