By Philip Buda Ladu
Reconstituted Joint Monitoring and Evaluation Commission (R-JMEC), the body tasked with monitoring the implementation of the 2018 revitalized peace agreement, has urged for clarity in the transitional period conclusion.
R-JMEC’s Interim Chairperson, Rtd. Lt. Gen. Charles Tai Gituai, in his report on the revitalized agreement implementation status covering the period from April 1 to June 30, 2024, noted a sense of uncertainty surrounding the fate of the upcoming elections.
With elections scheduled for December 22, 2024, Gituai echoed that the ongoing dialogue by the parties to the revitalized agreement should help bring clarity on the best way forward.
“It is therefore important to consider that while some progress has been made in establishing the key institutions charged with the conduct of the constitution-making and election processes, a lot remains to be done to fully equip them to carry out their mandates,” he stated.
Gituai added that the level of resources made available to these election-related institutions falls well short of their proposed budgets, further hindering their ability to complete the required tasks in line with the R-ARCSS.
“Much therefore hangs on the outcome of the inter-party dialogue in helping to not only bring clarity to the holding of elections but also to the very future of the peace process,” the R-JMEC chair emphasized.
He stressed that due consideration must continue to be given to providing the requisite resources and strengthening the security situation in the country.
“In that regard, progress in the unification of forces remains imperative in helping lay the path to peaceful elections,” he underscored.
According to Gituai, the long-suffering people of South Sudan eagerly look to the parties and the transitional unity government (RTGoNU) to help successfully steer the country on the road to sustained peace.
Under its mandate as provided for in Chapter 7 of the R-ARCSS, RJMEC pledges to continue monitoring, evaluating, and reporting on the status of implementation of the R-ARCSS.
Gituai also stated that, as circumstances may demand, R-JMEC will intervene to break any deadlock that may emerge in the course of implementation of the R-ARCSS.
Early this month, information minister and rapporteur to Nairobi peace talks, Michael Makuei, said the Presidency will use the Tumaini Consensus Agreement once signed and the peace roadmap evaluation report to determine the conduct of the conduct of the elections.
“The leadership is the one that will decide on the election on two counts: the leadership will decide on the election based on the outcome of the Tumaini Initiative, and the leadership will decide on the election based on the outcome of the report of the roadmap evaluation,” Makuei told journalists earlier.