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ELAPSED: Six years of peace deal now, what next?

By Yiep Joseph

 

As September 12, 2024, marks six years since the signing of the Agreement on the Resolution of Conflict in South Sudan (ACRSS), questions arise about the future of the country and the uncertain path toward elections.

Despite the hopeful beginnings, when President Salva Kiir and Dr. Riek Machar signed the peace deal to end the war, the journey toward lasting peace has been fraught with challenges, including numerous extensions and ongoing failures to comprehensively implement the agreement.

With less than 10 days remaining until the end of the extended roadmap on September 22, the Reconstituted Transitional Government of National Unity (R-TGoNU) is facing a critical test of its legitimacy.

The unity government could be dissolved if the parties do not reach a decision on whether to proceed with elections or extend the transitional period further.

Additionally, there remains lack of a clear framework regarding the transition after the elapse of the transitional period, leaving the future uncertain.

Ambassador Gen. (rtd) Charles Tai Gituai, Chairperson of the Reconstituted Joint Monitoring and Evaluation Commission (RJMEC), said although progress has been made in the past six years, there are still many challenges.

In a statement seen by this outlet, Gen, Gituai said the main challenges to the implementation of the agreement include insufficient political will, trust deficits among the parties, capacity gaps, and persistent levels of intercommunal violence in the states.

He urged the government and other stakeholders to reflect seriously on the next steps to ensure the preservation of hard-won gains.

“We are still a long way from what was called for in the Preamble of the Revitalized Agreement, namely “to lay the foundation for a united, peaceful, and prosperous society based on justice, equality, respect for human rights, and the rule of law,he said.

Despite a 24-month extension of the Transitional Period in 2022, he said key tasks such as completion of the unification of forces, various election-related preparatory tasks, and the making of the permanent constitution are still outstanding. 

With several challenges and uncertainties around the election, Gituai cautions the peace parties to express political will in order to achieve peace. 

The RJMEC’s boss emphasized the need for the government to answer questions regarding what is next for the country.

“Matters have reached the point where serious questions about what will happen in South Sudan in the coming months are being asked, but these are questions that must be answered by the RTGoNU leadership,” he said.

He cautions the peace parties to insert all their efforts and come up with ways forward with the hope of ensuring peace and stability in the country.

“This situation (election uncertainty), if not properly handled, may threaten the gains made since 12 September 2018 and further create anxiety and undermine the people’s confidence in the leadership of the Parties to the Agreement,” he said.

He urged the leaders to give a way forward, citing that it would build trust between the citizens and the leadership.

Contradictions

In July, the National Election Commission (NEC) announced 22 December 2024 as the election date as per Section 16(1) of the National Election Act 2023.

However, parties continue to have opposing voices on the matter and are yet to agree.

While the Political Party Council proceeds with party registration, the SPLM-IO, the main opposition party, has distanced itself from the process, arguing that it is premature to proceed with party registration at this stage.

The government is currently engaging holdout groups in the Tumaini Initiative in Nairobi to bring in groups that had stayed away from R-ARCSS.

However, the talks are moving at a snail pace after representatives of the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-in-Opposition (SPLM-IO) walked out.

They argued that the protocols under discussion would undermine the principles of the 2018 peace deal.

As the deadline approaches, the pressure mounts on parties to the agreement to provide clarity on the path forward.

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