By Bosco Bush
In light of the recent two-year extension of the outdated 2018 Revitalized Peace Agreement, civil society activists are advocating for the establishment of a free and conducive civic and political environment to encourage citizen engagement.
To ensure the smooth functioning of the extended Revitalized Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in the Republic of South Sudan (R-ARCSS), Center for Peace and Advocacy (CPA), noted that it is vital to guarantee freedom of expression, assembly, and association during these additional two years.
This, according to CPA, will allow both citizens and political leaders to engage in their political activities without the restrictions imposed by the provisions of the recently contentious Amended National Security Act, 2024.
In a statement, CPA’s Executive Director, Ter Manyang further called on the National Security personnel to cease removing articles on Newspapers and media censorship – recalling several past incidents of its kind.
“The National Security should cease the removal of press release statements from newspapers, media, and online publications. Numerous incidents have occurred in the country since 2020,” partially read the statement.
Meanwhile, expressing his support for the 2-year extension of the transitional period, Mr. Manyang said, “the extension will give the parties involved in the peace agreement the necessary time to address outstanding tasks and prevent future blame from citizens.”
The Revitalized Transitional Government of National Unity (R-TGoNU) unanimously agreed to prolong their stay in power for another 24 months till 2026, citing implementation of some critical pending tasks necessary for the conduct of elections at the end of the transitional period.
President Salva Kiir, then signed Amendment Number 12 of the Transitional Constitution of 2011, extending the transitional period by 2 years.
However, this move has been slammed by the United States government and other Western diplomats who abstained from endorsing the 2-year extension during R-JMEC meeting of the stakeholders.
U.S. Ambassador, Michael J. Adler expressed sharp criticism for the South Sudanese leaders, citing their “failure to create the conditions necessary for a genuine, peaceful, and inclusive election.”
“We are deeply disappointed by this failure because peace is our priority, and we are convinced the best way to secure peace in South Sudan is by creating the conditions to hold such an election,” he added.