By Bida Elly David
The Government of South Sudan in collaboration with Reconstituted Joint Monitoring and Evaluation Commission (R-JMEC) vowed to continue working towards completion of the implementation of the peace agreement despite facing financial challenges after they were exempted from funding.
This development came following a meeting between President Salva Kiir and a delegation from R-JMEC basically to have briefing on the status of the implementation of the revitalized agreement on the resolution of conflicts in the Republic of South Sudan.
Recently, the United States suspended funding to Reconstituted Joint Monitoring and Evaluation Commission (R-JMEC) for running its activities that were aimed to boost the move towards the implementation of the agreement.
The donors claimed that R-JMEC has been doing enough resulting to the slow move of the implementation of the revitalized agreement
In a statement seen by No.1 Citizen Daily Newspaper on the Presidential Facebook page yesterday, Ambassador Charles Tai Gituai the chairperson for the Reconstituted Joint Monitoring and Evaluation Commission (RJMEC) reiterated their commitment to ensuring that the peace agreement would come into effect despite the financial hitches claimed to have blocked progress.
“We have discussed activities of the R-JMEC and the African Union Summit as well as the recent developed roadmap and the way forward for the implementation of the agreement. The road map was one of the key elements to assess the stage of the agreement. We are ready to cooperate with the government to ensure that the remaining part of the Revitalized Peace Agreement is implemented’’ said Gen. Gituai.
Gituai however underscored the withdrawal of the United States government from extending their support as one of the factors that has affected the activities of RJMEC from accelerating towards aiding the peace process and urged them to lift off the cut.
“The cut off of the funding through the withdrawal of the United States has really hindered the implementation process of the peace agreement. Since the United States government withdrew; the implementation process through R-JEMC was withheld due to lack of funding. We still remain committed with the government to ensure that the process for the implementation of peace is completed’’ he added.
The team urged all the political parties to observe the significance of consensus that was reached earlier on the peace roadmap.
President Kiir deliberated on the key important issues that need to be implemented to speed up the agreement.
He said that although both bodies are faced with so many constraints, they remain committed to reach towards implementation of the agreement.
Kiir further urged all political parties to the agreement to remain committed and join hands with the government to accomplish the pending provisions within the agreement to pave an everlasting peace for the citizens of South Sudan.