Watchdog says no signs of political commitment to implement peace deal months after extension

JUBA – South Sudan’s civil society watchdog, the Community Empowerment for Progress Organization (CEPO), has said that it has documented that there has no been an improvement in the political will of the parties to the revitalized peace agreement over the deal’s implementation several months after the extension of the transitional period.

President Salva Kiir Mayardit and First Vice President Dr. Riek Machar Teny, the main signatories of the 2018 peace deal, agreed in August to extend the transitional period from February 2023 for at least twenty-four months ending in 2025 with elections – which would be the first in the country’s post-independence history – expected just before end of the transitional period.

The two men in statements following the agreement to extend the agreement for the said period vowed to recommit to the implementation process of the agreement whose implementation has been low owing to several factions including but not limited to lack of political will among the main signatories and lack of funds for its implementation.

In a statement extended to Sudans Post this afternoon, CEPO said it has documented lack of commitment by the parties to the agreement’s implementation saying pending tasks which it said should have been implemented before February have not yet even been implemented.

“The Community Empowerment for Progress Organization engaged in tracking the parties’ signatories to the R-ARCSS/roadmap newel of political pledge and commitment for delivering the pending tasks of the R-ARCSS through the timely and genuine implementation of the signed roadmap dated 2^nd August, 2022,” the statement reads in part.

“CEPO tracking results demonstrated that no proper improvement of political commitment from the parties was witnessed in genuine implementation of the tasks of the roadmap for the period August to December 2022,” it added.

Edmund Yakani, the civil society watchdog’s executive director, called on the principals to the parties, notably President Kiir and First Vice President Machar, to hold an immediate meeting to tailor down the needs for urgent implementation of the provisions which should have been implemented before the start of the extended transitional period.

“It is matter of urgency for the principals of the parties to the R-ARCCSS/Roadmap to holding urgent meeting for reviewing their performance in implementation the roadmap tasks implementation for the period of August-December 2022 before rolling out the last two months for the official ending of the transitional period before kickoff of the extended period of 24 months from 22^nd February 2023 to 22^nd February 2025,” Yakani said.

“The observed performance of the parties on the implementation of the pending tasks of the roadmap for the period of August to December 2022 is below 50%. In chapter to with graduation of the unified reasonable performance was observed by matters of undertaken essential steps for genuine redeployment of the graduated unified forces is very slow and delay too much. While tasks on legislations reforms/amendments enactment and reconstitution of independent institutions for delivering critical tasks such as political parties registration, constitution making process and conduct of credible general national elections are absolutely below expectation, below 50% performance and deliberately delayed.

“Before the breakdown for the festival seasons, it is essential for the principals of the parties’ signatories to the R-ARCSS/Roadmap hold strategic meeting for making strategic decision on how to improve performance in the last two months of the official transitional period ending. It is highly that Pope Francis to South Sudan mat take place without delivering the essential tasks such as professional redeployment of the graduated unified forces, completion of second branch of training and redeployment of the unified forces, signing of the amended bills into law by the president, reconstitution of the independent national institutions. Including the rollout of the critical tasks such as political parties’ registration, constitution making process, truth, healing and reconciliation and electoral process,” the activist stressed.

The watchdog further urged “the presidency to urgently call for closure of year 2022 performance meeting on the implementation of the R-ARCSS/roadmap. The meeting should come out with concrete decision for improvement of performance and political commitment” and said that it “will be issuing detailed R-ARCSS/roadmap implementation performance observation report on 31^st December 2022.”