South Sudan’s Nuer body welcomes Mogae’s resignation

August 21, 2018 (JUBA) – A South Sudanese tribal body, the Nuer Supreme Council (NSC) Tuesday welcomed the resignation of the Chairperson of Joint Monitoring Evaluation Commission (JMEC), Fetus G. Mogae reiterating claims he was not a neutral party.

JMEC chairman was accused of failing to condemn the government violations of the ceasefire and attacks on civilians almost from the Nuer of the former First Vice President Riek Machar after the violent clashes of July 2016 that plunged the country into civil war again.

In a letter extended to the IGAD chair Abiy Ahmed Ali, Mogae announced his resignation as of the end of September saying he wanted to “allow for the new phase of the transition period for South Sudan to be in fresh hands”.

“The Council welcomed H. E. Fetus Mogae’s decision to resign and we urged the Chairperson of IGAD, H. E. Prime Minister of Ethiopia Dr Abiy Ahmed to accept this praiseworthy decision,” said the NSC in reaction to Mogae’s letter of resignation by the end of September 2018.

After the first failure of the parties to implement the peace deal in July 2016 as a result of bloody clashes between the forces of President Kiir and his First Vice-President Riek Machar, the IGAD now on the brink of concluding a process to renegotiate the peace deal Mogae personally proposed to revive the peace deal.

The Nuer body pointed out that Mogae failed to be “impartial”, when the peace agreement “was violated” by forces of President Kiir in July 2016.

“During that time to present, Mr Mogae appeared compromised and acted at times as regime in Juba’s official spokesperson. He acted (with) indifference at a time when a great deal of integrity and impartiality are required. This behaviour seriously contradicts his role and mandate that he was tasked for,” further said the statement.

In July 2017, President Mogae rejected calls to resign from the JMEC saying that a section of South Sudanese are unhappy with him.

“Many South Sudanese including the SPLM/IO led by Dr Riek Machar have called for my resignation and they said I should resign and declare the peace agreement dead and that IGAD should initiate a political process outside South Sudan,” he said at the time.

He further said he would continue to his job and pledged to step down when he realised his failure.

“The Peace agreement is still alive but has been wounded, the Revitalization Forum formed by the IGAD heads of states on 12th June 2017 in Addis Ababa is set to get the agreement back on track,” said Mogae.

The IGAD decision to launch the revitalization forum was instigated by the JMEC chairperson.

Two months after the signing of the South Sudanese peace agreement in October 2015, the Former President of the Republic of Botswana Mogae was appointed as the head of JMEC which is tasked with the monitoring, support and reporting on the violations and non-implementations of the peace deal.

(ST)