By Mary Poni
The withdrawal of the fundings from the peace monitoring mechanisms by United States is due to lack of sustainable peace progress by the mechanism, said Mr. Moulik Berkana, the Public Affairs officer at U.S. Embassy in Juba.
U.S. was supporting two peace bodies monitoring the impoverished country’s path to implement the transition which are, Reconstituted Joint Monitoring and Evaluation Commission (RJMEC) and the Ceasefire and Transitional Security Arrangements Monitoring and Verification Mechanism (CTSAMVM).
However, the United States withdrew its funding from the two peace monitoring bodies R-JMEC and CTSAMVM citing lack of progress in the snail pace peace implementation.
Mr. Moulik D. Berkana in an exclusive interview with No.1 Citizen Daily Newspaper stressed why the American people withheld their support to the peace mechanisms.
“It is true that early this summer, the Americans withdrew fundings from the monitoring mechanisms and the reason is due to lack of sustained peace progress in the country” he stated.
“The officers in Washington DC and in Juba have already gone to the record notes that, the mechanisms are too slow in pushing the government as well for the progress of the peace implementation and it caused disappointment to the US government with South Sudan government” he continued.
Moulik underlined that in the reports from the peace monitoring mechanisms, there seem to be no any action taken by the monitoring mechanisms in the country.
He said the decision of withdrawing the fundings comes from the United States congress. Citing that it is really inaccurate to say that the US does not support the peace process.
“This is your country and the U.S. supports peace and prosperity for the bright future of South Sudan as a country for its citizens” he noted.
Moulik stated that the United States however will continue to provide about $1 billion in humanitarian and development aid and in support to the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS), among others.
He said the officers from the US will decide if they can change the policy but currently that is the current policy though U.S. has withdrawn the fundings from the monitoring mechanism, adding that it doesn’t mean they don’t support the peace process.
“United States has pulled out of the systems that monitors the peace process in South Sudan because of the country’s failure to meet reform milestones” he underlined.
The US diplomat said South Sudan’s leaders have not fully availed themselves of the support these monitoring mechanisms provided and have demonstrated lack of political will to implement critical reforms” the Diplomat added.
A transitional period is set to end in February 2023, but many key provisions of the deal have not been met, including drafting a permanent constitution.