ADDIS ABABA — The IGAD Council of Ministers Thursday called to dissolve the incumbent parliament before the end of April to allow the formation of the new legislative chamber.
The IGAD leading body held a videoconference meeting chaired by the Sudanese foreign minister to discuss the implementation of the revitalized peace agreement signed on 12 September 2018.
In his briefing to the meeting, the head of the Reconstituted Joint Monitoring and Evaluation Commission (RJMEC) Augostino Njoroge pointed to the delay in the reconstitution of the Transitional National Legislative Assembly (TNLA) and the Council of States, and the lack of agreement between the parties on appointment of state governors.
In a statement released at the end of the meeting, the Council urged President Salva kiir to dissolve the incumbent legislative assembly before 30th April 2020.
Further, the meeting called on “the Parties to reconstitute the TNLA in accordance with the R-ARCSS within ten (10) days of the dissolution of the incumbent TNLA”.
With regard to the state governors and local governments, the meeting called for the immediate resumption of discussions to reach an agreement “within fifteen (15) days of the issuance of this Communiqué”.
Also, the meeting recalled President Kiir the need to consult the First Vice President and his other four vice-presidents before to appoint senior officials as provided in the revitalized peace pact.
The RJMEC head told the meeting that the “low level of trust and confidence and the spirit of collegial leadership is lacking (…)”.
The IGAD Council of Ministers welcomed the signing of the Rome Resolution on Monitoring and Verification of the Cessation of Hostilities Agreement of 2017, between the South Sudan Opposition Movement Alliance (SSOMA) and the government.
The meeting further approved the agreement saying it would create a suitable atmosphere for an all-inclusive peace process in South Sudan.
