By William Madouk
The newly appointed leadership of National Transitional Committee (NTC) faces an overwhelming challenge: to clean up the mess left by former leadership led by, Tut Gatluak Manime.
President Salva Kiir on Friday dissolved the previous NTC, a body tasked with implementation of the 2018 agreement, removing the chairperson, Tut Gatluak and appointed Gen. Kuol Manyang Juuk.
Gen. Juuk is also a senior presidential advisor and chief government negotiator for the Tumaini peace talks.
The reconstituted NTC now includes Minister of Presidential Affairs, Ambassador Chol Mawut Ajongo as Deputy Chairperson, while Stephen Par Kuol has been reinstated as Secretary.
Other members include Minister of Defense Chol Thon, Minister of Agriculture Josephine Lagu, Minister of Interior Angelina Teny, Minister of Finance Marial Dongrin, Minister of Wildlife Rizik Zechariah Hassan, National Security Service Director General, Gen. Akec Tong, and Kuong Donhier.
Juuk’s predecessor, Tut Gatluak, left behind a trail of controversy, including a legal battle in the East African Court of Justice (EACJ) with 31 hotels over unpaid accommodation and feeding bills.
According to Senior Counsel Wani Santino Jada of M/S Pan African Law Chambers LLP in Juba who has handled several cases at the EACJ and the lead lawyer for the hotels, his clients are collectively owed over US$ 61 million.
“The hotels shall be represented by over 42 lawyers from the East African Community led by M/S Pan African Law Chambers LLP,” he said. “The hotels are demanding US$ 61,066,868 and they also prayed (asked) court to issue general and punitive damages,” he was quoted as saying.
This legal dispute, along with the NTC’s past failures in implementing the peace agreement, presents significant hurdles for Juuk.
He must now navigate these challenges and effectively lead the committee in its crucial role of overseeing the implementation of the peace agreement.
The newly appointed NTC chairperson, Kuol Manyang Juuk, has yet to assume office and unveil his plans for the committee.
However, civil society activist Edmund Yakani welcomed Friday’s decision to reconstitute the NTC, describing it as both overdue and appreciated.
Yakani stated that civil society organizations have been consistently advocating for the reconstitution of the National Transitional Committee, a high-level body tasked with overseeing the implementation of the peace agreement.
“The President has now reconstituted the leadership and the membership of the NTC. This is a remarkable decision, though it was too much delayed, but at least we have seen new blood, a new phase is coming to the National Transitional Committee,” said Yakani.
Separately, the Center for Peace and Advocacy (CPA), a civil society organization, said it was deeply concerned about the reconstitution of NTC.
It pointed out that this previous committee struggled to carry out its activities on time due to conflicting interests.
“The CPA believed that the President would introduce new faces who would earn the trust of the South Sudanese people, donors, and the international community. Retaining the same individuals would undermine donor confidence and negatively affect public sentiment towards them,” he said.
“The country requires trustworthy leaders who are genuine and capable of making timely decisions on pressing issues,” the group said.
The National Transitional Committee (NTC), is a body tasked with overseeing the implementation of the 2018 peace deal.
The overhauled NTC will finalize Phase Two of the Security Arrangement, prepare a comprehensive budget for the remaining phases of the peace agreement, and report directly to the Presidency.