By Ephraim Modi Duku Sokiri
The ruling political party, Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM) has stated its commitment to stop rebellions in South Sudan.
Last week, Mr. Bol Makueng, the SPLM Secretary for External Relations, stated during a joint press conference that they are dedicated to bring to an end the rebellions in South Sudan.
“We are working to stop the rebellion (s),” he said.
Mr. Bol believe that it is the presence of the rebellions in the country which are hindering “If we are not willing to stop, we will not (would have not) accept (ed) five vice presidents and all these positions which are (redundant) and are not able to deliver services to our people.”
He further said they are as well in advocacy for democracy which is manifested through the presence of peace in the country evidenced by the participation of other political parties.
He appealed to South Sudanese to dialogue with each other to end the violence.
This country has been torn down by massive political crisis since 2013, two years from its independence by the forces loyal to President Salva Kiir and First Vice President Dr. Riek Machar which sparked out the 2013 and 2016 civil wars and that has produced number of rebellions against Kiir regime.
Under threat of international sanctions and following several rounds of negotiations supported by the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), Kiir signed a peace agreement with Dr. Machar in August 2015. As the first step towards ending the civil war, Machar returned to Juba in April 2016 and was once again sworn in as First Vice President, after spending more than two years outside the country.
Soon after his return, violence erupted out between government forces and opposition factions, once more displacing tens of thousands of people. Dr. Machar fled the country and was eventually detained in South Africa. In 2017 and 2018, a series of ceasefires were negotiated and subsequently violated between the two sides and other factions.
Since the signing of the 2018 Revitalized Peace Agreement for South Sudan, progress has been extremely slow in implementing the terms. Under the agreement, a Hybrid Court, a Commission for Truth, Reconciliation and Healing (CTRH) and a reparations process should have been established more than three years ago.
Core aspects of the peace agreement, including the unification of security forces, have been plagued by persistent dispute between the parties on allocation of ratios of representation and resources. The parties to the agreement have also consistently failed to meet deadlines set for critical reforms and the establishment of the transitional justice bodies, without a credible justification for the delays.