South Sudanese have to adopt joint position on peace implementation process: Troika
April 30, 2019 (JUBA) – The Troika countries – Norway, the United Kingdom, and the United States – urged the parties to reach a consensus on the formation of the transitional government to demonstrate their political will to build peace in the country.
As the deadline for the formation of the Revitalized Transitional Government of National Unity (R-TGONU), the peace partners are more divided because Juba government says the failure to form a reunified army or drawing internal boundaries should not delay the process.
While others, like the SPLM-IO, say they would not accept to repeat the mistake of July 2016 and stressed the non-reunification means the presence of two armies with two chiefs and a high potential for conflict again.
To address this misunderstanding, the IGAD Special Envoy for South Sudan Ismail Wais called for a meeting in Addis Ababa to “develop a clear roadmap for the formation of the R-TGONU as well as the pending tasks of the agreement”.
“Any decision on forming the transitional government as scheduled or delaying to a later date should be made through consensus of the parties,” said the Troika countries in a statement released on Tuesday.
If the parties come to a consensus that a delay is required, they should develop an achievable plan to resolve outstanding issues and move forward in a defined timeframe. An open-ended delay could slow momentum and put the peace process at risk,” stressed the three countries.
The United States had been requested by regional leaders and international officials to back the peace deal and to provide the needed funds for the costly security arrangements process but Washington refused said it should be funded by oil money.
IGAD and UNMISS agree that the slow pace of peace implementation and the increasing frustrations in South Sudan could have been avoided if the needed money was provided in time to enforce the reunification process.
In a briefing to the UN Security Council on 18 September 2018, UN Special Envoy for the two Sudan, Nicholas Haysom, pointed to the scepticism of the Troika countries saying “they have shown no appetite to fund this process unless there is a clear provision to ensure transparency and propriety in financial transactions including accountability for past misappropriations of public funds”.
Regardless of a delay in the formation of the transitional government, elections should be held by March 13, 2022, as originally scheduled under the R-ARCSS.
The Troika also advised the South Sudanese parties to hold elections by March 13, 2022, as originally scheduled.
“It is crucial that all South Sudanese support this opportunity for peace and make the process inclusive,” they further stressed.
(ST)