Security Council calls to activate South Sudan’s critical-tasks mechanism

November 22, 2019 (WASHINGTON) -The United Nations Security Council Friday has called for a swift operationalization of the joint mechanism in control of the implementation of the critical tasks in the revitalized peace agreement.

South Sudan’s President and his main peace partner Riek Machar agreed on 7 November in a meeting hosted by President Yoweri Museveni and attended by the head of Sudanese Sovereign Council Abdel Fattah al-Burhan to extend the pre-transitional period for 100 days and to form a mechanism to oversee the implementation of the security arrangements and to determine the states’ number and boundaries.

In a statement issued on Friday, the Security Council said disappointed by the second extension of the pre-transitional period and the delay in the enforcement of the revitalized peace agreement.

The Council also welcomed the formation of the mechanism to mechanism to supervise the implementation of critical tasks.

Further, the 15 member body called on the Guarantors and Parties of the Agreement to “quickly operationalize the mechanism and set out clearly how it will operate in coordination with the existing mechanisms and institutions of the Agreement, as well as stakeholders to the South Sudan peace process”.

In line with the deal struck in Entebbe, the parties and the guarantors will review the progress made in the implementation of the critical tasks after 50 days and a report will be submitted to the head of states and the parties.

The Security Council called on the parties to make immediate progress on these tasks and on outcomes agreed at the 9 November 2019 “IGAD Ministerial Consultative Meeting with the Parties to the R-ARCSS,” including for SSPDF and SPLM/A-IO forces to immediately vacate all remaining civilian centres and populated areas.

In accordance with the revitalized peace agreement signed on 12 September 2018, the parties had six-months to implement the critical tasks before to form the government in May 2019. But the pre-transitional period was extended for six month until November due to the lack of funding.

The statement, in addition, called on the South Sudanese government to pay out the pledged money for the implementation of the agreement ” in a transparent and accountable manner”.

The Council reiterated its call for IGAD to address the status of SPLM-IO Riek Machar “as a key confidence-building measure conducive” to forming the revitalized transitional national unity government.

Also, the statement warned that actions which threaten the peace, security, or stability of South Sudan may be subject to international sanctions

(ST)