By Staff writer
Transitional National Legislative Assembly Speaker, Rt. Hon. Jemma Nunu Kumba acknowledged that implementation of the revitalized peace agreement is taking a slow pace.
“Of course, the pace is a bit slow,” Rt. Hon. Nunu said while enumerating on achievements of the transitional national Legislative Assembly in the last two years.
She said despite considerable achievements in the implementation of the revitalized peace agreements; the process has been surrounded by several challenges.
“Training and graduation of the first batch of the necessary unified forces, however, they have not been deployed because of the challenges of arms embargo,” the speaker said.
According to the Rt. Hon. Nunu, the arms embargo by the UN Security Council has reduced the capability of the government to procure arms for these forces.
“This as we hear from the executive is a big challenge, the government is expected to provide security in the country but how do you execute this mandate without arms?” she queried.
The speaker recalled appeals of the government to the international community to reconsider the decision of slapping South Sudan with an embargo.
“We have always appealed in our interactions with the international community to look into this and grant special considerations for the necessary unified forces to be equipped and deployed,” he said.
On provisions of the processes of peace roadmap, the speaker said the Parliament needs to speed up the constitutional aspects.
“If anything is to be done, we need to expedite the implementation of the provisions in the agreement especially those highlighted in the road map,” Hon. Nunu explained.
The revitalized transitional Peace Agreement tasks the Assembly to review the Political Parties Act and amend the National Elections Act 2012 among others, leading to the conduct of elections.
Quoting her boss, the speaker said the President has made it very clear that elections have to take place at the end of the transitional period but before that certain processes have to take place.
“However experts know what options are available in case census is not conduct and the most important is the permanent constitution-making process. This needs to be expedited” she added.
As the World anticipates the December 2024 elections to transit South Sudan to a democratic government under a peaceful atmosphere, the speaker equally shares the same belief.
“Am always for peace, I talk about peace because there is nothing you can do without peace, we can have beautiful programs and dreams on paper but without peace, you can do nothing,” she said.
Nunu said South Sudanese have been through war, and so, are better placed to make informed decisions on how to move forward as people. She said the people know the repercussions of both war and peace.
“We can make informed decision. The right decision is to take the direction of peace so that all these sufferings we are going through can come to pass when there is peace” the speaker stressed.
Nunu urged citizens to join hands with the president to implement the peace agreement by talking to the people if there is anything disturbing.
“Let us talk about it without necessarily going for guns, guns kill and destroy. Given our experience we should be the best to advise our friends in the region about the dangers of war,” she added.
She said that citizens should first seek peaceful solutions before taking to arms.
“If we can talk before taking guns to solve problems is better. Let us always give dialogue a chance, let us forgive and move forward and get our country on track for prosperity” the speaker counseled.
Nunu commend the parties to the peace agreement for working together for peace, saying she was happy for the group of Gen. Johnson Olony, for coming back,
“They should continue in the same spirit of cooperation and unity,” the speaker said.
President Salva Kiir Mayardit has always maintained position of advocating for peace in the country and echoed on several platforms that he doesn’t want South Sudan to slip back to violence anymore.
The president also promised that by all means in 2024, there will be elections.
However, President Kiir has equally complained over the UN Security Council’s decision of imposing an arms embargo on South Sudan, saying the move impedes the implementation of the peace Agreement.