![US Ambassador to South Sudan Michael J. Adler. [Photo courtesy]](https://i0.wp.com/www.sudanspost.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/2j9p4a0.jpg?resize=850%2C381&quality=89&ssl=1)
Speaking at a meeting of the Reconstituted Joint Monitoring and Evaluation Commission (RJMEC), U.S. Ambassador to South Sudan Michael J. Adler said the government’s repeated delays in fulfilling its commitments had exhausted the patience of both international partners and South Sudanese citizens.
“Indeed, almost seven years after the signing of the peace agreement, we see continued failure of political will on the part of its signatories to bring the transitional period to a peaceful and successful conclusion. We see continued failure of political will to use public revenue appropriately,” Adler said.
South Sudan’s transitional government last September extended the peace roadmap for another two years, delaying elections initially scheduled for 2024. Adler said the decision was disappointing but unsurprising.
“It was not a surprise to those of us who recalled the RJMEC discussion of the previous extension in September 2022 and who had witnessed two years of RJMEC meetings repeatedly demonstrating no significant progress on the steps pledged in the so-called roadmap,” he said.
Since the extension was announced, Adler said, the situation in South Sudan had worsened.
“Salaries remain unpaid, eroding even further public security and public services. Living standards have only deteriorated further. Not only has there been no progress in unifying the armed forces, we are seeing direct clashes between forces associated with the signatories in Western Equatoria and Upper Nile. This is in addition to violence in other parts of the country,” he said.
He also raised concerns about political space, saying authorities had not created the conditions needed for credible elections.
“Five months since the agreement to extend the transitional period, we note the authorities have not taken any of the steps necessary to create the conditions for peaceful and credible elections. Not least, this means fostering the civic and political space needed to give the people of South Sudan a voice in their country’s future,” Adler said.
“The ability of the National Security Service to arbitrarily detain people for peacefully expressing their views must end. We urge that the NSS Act be amended accordingly,” he added.
The ambassador urged South Sudanese leaders to take immediate steps to prevent further instability.
“There is no more time to waste. The signatories to the peace agreement must end the ongoing clashes before they escalate into broader, national conflict,” he said.
“But the clashes are just a symptom of the core problem: the fundamental problem continues to be the willful refusal to meet peace commitments and to use public revenue transparently and for public benefit,” he added.
He rejected suggestions that the war in neighbouring Sudan and disruptions to South Sudan’s oil exports were solely to blame for the government’s financial challenges.
“It is important to note that the transitional government’s failure to use public revenue appropriately and transparently predates the conflict in Sudan and the disruption of the oil pipeline,” he said.
“Even today, despite the challenges, the transitional government still has the financial resources to pay salaries and provide other essential public services, if the political will exists,” he added.
Adler called for accountability in assessing South Sudan’s peace process.
“Peace is our priority in South Sudan. Those around this table who share this priority must refuse to conflate ‘meetings’ with progress. Those who come here to monitor and evaluate should do so honestly, objectively, and with candor,” he said.
The 2018 peace agreement brought President Salva Kiir and his former rival, now First Vice President Riek Machar, into a unity government. However, key provisions of the deal, including security arrangements and preparations for elections, have faced repeated delays.
