Lack of funds slowing down cantonment process: RJMEC
October 13, 2019 (JUBA) – Lack of funds and the capacity to operationalize cantonment has contributed to the slow pace of its implementation process, Lt. Gen. Augustino Njoroge, the interim chairperson of the Reconstituted Joint Monitoring and Evaluation Commission (R-JMEC) said at a meeting with the president Friday.
Njoroge also discussed with President Salva Kiir the enactment of the laws already submitted by the National Constitutional Amendment Committee (NCAC), agreement on allocation of ministerial portfolios and the submission to the NCAC a list of parties’ nominees to the country’s Transitional National Legislation Assembly (TNLA).
RJMEC is the body overseeing implementation of the peace deal.
During the meeting, RJMEC chairman air also raised the resolution of the number and boundaries of the states, training and deployment of VIP protection forces and the enactment of the Constitutional Amendment Bill, as key sticking issues that need to be urgently resolved.
Recently, Njoroge warned that time was running out for the cantonment, selection and training of the 50% of the 83,000 necessary unified forces.
He urged the Disarmament, Demobilization and Reintegration (DDR) Commission to immediately operationalize an action plan, saying it is vital to the cantonment process.
South Sudan descended into war in mid-December 2013 when Kiir accused his former deputy-turned rebel leader for plotting a coup.
In September 2018, however, the rival factions involved in the South Sudanese conflict signed a peace deal to end the conflict that has killed tens of thousands of people and displaced over 2 million people in the country.
The power-sharing arrangements under the deal were supposed to take effect in May, but the process was delayed by six months until November as both sides disagreed on security arrangements.
(ST)