By Taban Henry
The Revitalized Transitional Government of National Unity (R-TGoNU) has on Friday called on the Troika countries (US, UK and Norway) to support the government roadmap on the extension of the transitional period.
This came after the Minister of Cabinet Affairs briefed the Cabinet on the extraordinary meeting of the R-JMEC in which they discussed the roadmap as was prepared and passed by the peace partners for consideration in accordance with the provisions of the peace agreement.
The roadmap extension was subjected to voting by R-JMEC of which the voting capacity of the R-JMEC was 42 and as such 37 majority members voted in favour of the extension which was more than the two-third majority while the Troika members abstained from voting.
Troika who were also the voting members of the Reconstituted Joint Monitoring and Evaluation Commission on Thursday boycotted the vote to extend the transitional period for more 24 months starting in February 2023.
The Minister of Information and Government’s Spokesperson, Michael Makuei Lueth told reporters shortly after the Council of Ministers’ meeting No.2/2022 that the government called upon all the members of IGAD and Troika to rally behind and support the peace agreement.
“The government calls upon all the members of IGAD and Troika who had abstained from the meeting to come to the support of the agreement and the government of the people of South Sudan in supporting the implementation of the peace agreement” he said.
He added that the Council of Ministers applauded the decision and the stand of the members of R-JMEC especially the IGAD, AU, UN, China and IPF including the people of South Sudan who are honest of the roadmap.
“The government also calls upon the parties especially those who supported the roadmap to continue supporting the people and the gov’t of South Sudan in the implementation of the outstanding parts in the peace agreement” Makuei added.
On Thursday, the Troika, EU and other member states walked out and rejected the process for the extension of the transitional period through voting.
According to them, the vote in the Reconstituted Joint Monitoring and Evaluation Commission (R-JMEC) to extend the transitional period signifies that South Sudan leaders again extended their time in power despite failing over the past four years to deliver fully on the commitment they made in the 2018 Revitalized Agreement.
“We regret that the government did not postpone ratification of the extension to give time for them to demonstrate-through the actions and the results on the ground that the new commitment as set out in the roadmap will be different from the last few years” the statement said.
“We regret also that the government did not take the opportunity of meaningful engagement with the civil society and the other agreement stakeholders, which we believe increases the chances of successful implementation” the statement read in part.
The statement added that for the process, Troika who are the voting members of RJMEC could not support the extension at this time.
“We require further evidence of the government commitment to deliver on the new roadmap and fully implement the R-ARCSS before we can do so unless they recognize that the R-ARCSS as an agreement continues to represent an opportunity to build peace and stability in South Sudan” the Troika stated.
It added that their lack of support for the proposed extension in today’s extraordinary meeting does not diminish our commitment to the South Sudanese people’s quest for peace, prosperity and democracy.
“We call on South Sudan’s leaders to shoulder their responsibility. To date, the R-ARCSS has prevented a return to the large-scale conflict, but it has not delivered democracy, peace, justice or opportunity for the South Sudanese people. They are paying the price of non-implementation through the extreme levels of violence and abuse vested upon civilians across the country” it added.
The statement further added that Troika is in close coordination with the EU and its member states, regional partners, and other stakeholders, remain convinced that the push to ending their suffering and achieving their goals through the full implementation of the R-ARCSS.
“We support the government’s commitment to the roadmap to make the best use of the reminder of the original timeframe for the agreement and clarify how it would use any additional time from an extension. South Sudan’s leader must now deliver the results they promised in the timeline they committed to through the roadmap. They must also dedicate sufficient resources to the agreement’s implementation. This would send an important and positive signal to non-signatories, which we once again call upon to engage constructively in the peace process,” the state further added.