Speaking during the opening session of the 14thRJMEC baord meeting, Interim Chairperson Maj. Gen. (Rtd) Charles Tai Gituai said: “To date, nine out of the ten State governors have been appointed, but the position of the governor of the state of Upper Nile is still outstanding.”

He added: “There, an SPLM/A-IO nominee is to be appointed the Governor. However, their candidate was rejected by the President, and unfortunately, both sides have not changed their respective positions.”

As such, the Interim Chairperson called for an urgent resolution of the impasse by the political leadership. Furthermore, the Interim Chairperson has called for the reconstitution of the Transitional National Legislative Assembly (TNLA) as per Article 1.14.2 of the Revitalised Peace Agreement.

“I urge that the Parliament be expanded and reconstituted without any further delay,” he added. 

In his address, Maj. General Gituai also raised concerns that the unification of forces and reorganisation into the Necessary Unified Forces (NUF) is behind schedule.

He said: “Although tens of thousands of troops reported to the cantonment sites and training centres, the conditions in which they exist are austere, with numerous reports of troops leaving them in search of food.”

In his recommendations, the Chairperson urged the RTGoNU to expedite and complete the unification of forces, and produce the plans for the redeployment of the Necessary Unified Forces (NUF).

He also emphasised that the “overall implementation of the Resource, Economic and Financial Management provisions in Chapter 4 of the Revitalised Agreement has been slow.”  Furthermore, he added, there is need to expedite Public Financial Management reforms to ensure the accountable and transparent management of resources.

“The path to sustainable peace is never easy,” while calling on the RTGoNU “to ensure full implementation of the Agreement provisions and bring South Sudan further and faster down the road to enduring and sustainable peace,” he said.