South Sudan’s transitional period extended for 24 months
August 4, 2022 (JUBA) – South Sudan’s parties to the September 2018 peace deal on Thursday signed a roadmap extending the transitional period for 24 months, citing failure to complete critical benchmarks on the agreed time.
The new roadmap agreement was signed at the Freedom Hall in Juba.
Five political parties signed the roadmap before the audience in a hall packed with supporters as well as the partners in the coalition government.
Also present were President Salva Kiir and First Vice President Riek Machar.
Machar said the extension was necessitated by two critical issues, which presented themselves to them as the leaders in the transitional period.
“Before this roadmap two issues, we were faced with two issues. One, we were faced with the issue of either we crush, run elections without critical benchmarks, or extend. These issues were causing concern to south Sudanese, the region, and to the members of the international community. So, we had no choice but to extend the transition period,” he explained.
Machar said the extension is genuinely for the accord to be implemented.
Speaking on behalf of the former detainees, the East Africa Affairs minister, Deng Alor Kuol called for unity of purpose and demonstration of political will in order to implement the roadmap agreement which they have signed with other groups to implement the remaining part of the 2018 agreement.
He said it was time to demonstrate leadership to facilitate the return of the displaced to their original homes and repatriate refugees in neigbouring countries who are afraid to return home because of war and hunger.
“Someone asked me why we still have refugees in Kakuma refugee camp in Kenya which is one of the camps which we created because of the war of liberation struggle. Another group is in Ethiopia, Egypt, Uganda, and Sudan and by the way, the majority of south Sudanese are still in Sudan. They have not returned. They were in the process of returning but war erupted and they could not. Instead, they were joined by another group. These refugees are unable to come because of war and hunger. If they come, they will face, hunger and would starve. If they survive hunger, the war becomes another challenge.
He added, “So, let all of us who are here unite our ranks. All of us are from the SPLM [Sudan People’s Liberation Movement] and there is a saying that when the SPLM unites, we loot, we divide and we kill. This time, let us demonstrate to the people of South Sudan that we are ready for full implementation of this agreement so that we move the country forward”.
For his part, Gabriel Changson Chang from South Sudan Opposition Alliance (SSOA) urged the country’s political leaders embrace the Kenyan way forming alliances to contest an election instead of opting for rebellion.
Cabinet Affairs minister, Martin Elia Lomuro said the parties agreed to extend the transitional period since some key provision of the September 2018 revitalised peace deal were yet to be implemented in letter and spirit.
“The extended meeting of the presidency of the 21 of July, which was attended by representatives of the parties to the agreement, endorsed the roadmap proposed by H.E the President, President Salva Kiir Mayardit, on a peaceful transition to democratic elections and the meeting resolved to extend the transitional period of the R-ARCISS and directed the high-level standing committee to receive contributions of other parties to the agreement and incorporate them into the president’s roadmap,” he said.
The committee, the minister said, considered the contributions of the other parties to the agreement and further deliberated on the extended period.
“After lengthy deliberation, the committee agreed to extend the transitional period by 24 months from the end of the transitional period on the 22nd of February 2023 to the 22nd of February 2025,” stressed Lomuro.
He cited Article 8.4 of the revitalized peace agreement as the provision that gives parties the right to decide if they are to extend the transitional period.
“The harmonized roadmap was resubmitted to a second-extended meeting of the presidency in which article 8.4 of R-ARCISS was invoked to approve the amendment of extension of the transitional period from 22nd of February 2023 to 22nd February 2025 with elections held in December 2024. That means elections will be held in December 2024,” noted Lomuro.
Meanwhile, President Kiir said he was committed to ensuring the roadmap is implemented so that the country does not return to another civil war.
He also reiterated his desire for the holdout groups to rejoin the peace process, saying it was time for them to return to the country like others.
“I am not extending the transitional before because I want to stay longer. I do not want to rush you into an election that will return us to war”, said Kiir.
The former rebel commander, who joined the liberation struggle as a teenager, said he does not wish to leave the East African nation in a disorganised state.
NDM DISTANCES ITSELF FROM ROADMAP
Opposition leader Lam Akol and his National Democratic Movement (NMD) distanced themselves from the new roadmap, saying it was developed to ensure the current government remained in power.
“We advise our colleagues in government to revisit their stand and present what they signed today as their position in a round table conference of all the active political and civil society forces in South Sudan,” Lam said in a statement extended to Sudan Tribune on Friday.
He added, “That is the only legitimacy the South Sudanese will trust. There is still enough time for them to do so”.
(ST)