South Sudan parliament did not yet ratify revitalized peace pact, says JMEC

September 30, 2018 (JUBA) – The Joint Monitoring and Evaluation Commission (JMEC) said that some deadlines including the ratification of the revitalized peace agreement have been missed two weeks after its signing.

The JMEC on Friday released an update on the status of the implementation process pointing that the president appointed National Pre-Transitional Committee (NPTC) on 26 September, and the Permanent Ceasefire and Transitional Security Arrangements (PCTSA) workshop, was held in Khartoum. Also, the parties issued several declarations of commitment to the R-ARCSS.

In a statement released on Friday, the IGAD implementation monitoring body said that the parliament did not yet ratify the pact.

“Deadlines missed include the ratification of R-ARCSS by the Transitional National Legislature (TNL), the reconstitution of the National Constitution Amendment Committee (NCAC), reconstitution of JMEC, the formation of the Joint Defense Board, and the release of all prisoners of war and political detainees,” says the statement.

President Salva Kiir Thursday ordered to release the political detainees and prisoners of war but until now none has been effectively released. But South Sudanese officials in Juba say the process is underway.

Also, in an extraordinary meeting held last week, the government endorsed the peace deal but it is not clear why the lawmakers have not yet met to ratify the agreement.

The Pre-Transitional activities include ratification of the Agreement, its dissemination by the IGAD, preparation for the urgent actions required to kick-start the implementation process and reconstitution of the various Boards and Commissions of the Agreement.

The said it takes note of the progress made in the area of confidence building, through declarations by the peace parties, the celebration to mark the signing of the deal, dialogue between the leaders and invitations extended to all opposition leaders to visit Juba.

(ST)