South Sudanese parties are committed to implementing Entebbe Agreement: Sudan says
November 26, 2019 (KHARTOUM/JUBA) – Sudan’s Follow-up Committee for the Implementation of the 100-Day Agreement Monday affirmed the seriousness of the South Sudanese parties in implementing the Entebbe Agreement on the enforcement of critical tasks in the revitalized peace agreement.
A Sudanese delegation including members of the Sovereign Council and the government was in Juba for talks with the South Sudanese peace parties on their plans for the first 50 days to ensure the implementation of the security arrangements and the number and boundaries of the 28 states.
The delegation was composed of Mohamed Hamdan Daglo (Hemetti), Aisha Musa, Yasir al-Atta, Mohamed Hassan Eltaishi, and Mohamed al-Faki, as well as the Minister of the Federal Government Youssef Adam Aldai.
They met with President Salva Kiir, and the military and political committees tasked with the implementation of the pre-transitional arrangements.
Following the meetings, Eltaishi stated that the two parties reaffirmed their seriousness to overcome the logistical and technical difficulties that face the implementation of critical tasks.
“We have seen, from the government and the opposition, a serious desire to implement what has been agreed upon,” he said.
The Sudanese official further stressed that there is no political difference on the agenda of security arrangements, but some logistical and technical difficulties related to the timetable for the implementation of security arrangements particularly placing troops in cantonment sites and start training.
“Though 13 of the 100 days have elapsed, the parties could have accomplished important steps during this period. But we were briefed on a matrix linked to specific schedules and budget and specific cantonment sites for training and redeployment,” he stressed.
In a separate statement made immediately after the meeting with President Kiir, Hemetti told reporters that there will be a Sudanese military committee to follow up the cantonment sites and the training camps.
He further said that the Follow-up Committee will discuss with the political leadership any problems that may emerge during the upcoming days based on the reports made by the military experts.
South Sudanese Presidential Adviser on Security Affairs Tut Kew Gatluak, for his part, welcomed the visit of the Sudanese delegation saying it confirms Sudan’s interest in the peace process in South Sudan.
In a tripartite meeting on 7 November gathering Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni, head of Sudanese Sovereign Council Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, South Sudan’s President and his main peace partner Riek Machar agreed 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 22 November, the Security Council said disappointed by the of the transitional national unity government.
Further, the Council 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”.
(ST)