No need to extend the transitional period
By Kiden Stela Mandela
Parties should not think of extending the transitional period. It is better if they follow the 2018 peace Agreement because within these 7 months, the parties can do something to accomplish the transitional period. The remaining issues are the passing of the constitutional bill, security bill consensus and the graduation of unified forces which the President had talked about in March and recently the Presidency held a consultative meeting to deliberate on ways through which the stagnated unified forces could be graduated. Few months ago, the Presidential Advisor for Security Affairs announced the time table for the graduation but since then nothing tangible happened in regards to the graduation of the unified forces and the trainees always turn in good number but get disappointed by the leaders who always made empty promises to their citizens.
This one means that the political parties are dodging the end of the transitional period and are happy seeing citizens suffering in the country and in diaspora. The first election after independence was supposed to take place in 2015 but it was disrupted by the 2013 civil war fueled by ethnic divisions that engulfed the country, violence over political power, greed where a lot of evil acts happened such as soldiers on both sides of the conflict used sexual violence and torture, especially women and girls, as part of their military strategies. Furthermore, a complete breakdown of the rule of law permitted armed men to operate with impunity throughout the conflict.
So now because no one is willing to leave his/her position to end the transitional period, that’s why the country is still witnessing a lot of violence and corruption. But the question is for how long should the political parties want their own citizens to be in the hands of the foreign countries or even the ones within to continue suffering in the hands of our leaders. The other thing is that the international peace bodies are never serious about their work in implementing the peace process such as the (CTSAMVM).
I appeal to the leaders to stick to the peace agreement to end the transitional period in 2023 by going for Election.
God Bless South Sudan
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