RJMEC Interim Chairperson Maj. Gen. Charles Tai Gituai said proper functioning government requires the full operation of the three branches of government, the executive, the legislative and the judiciary, at both the national and subnational levels

Speaking during the 19th JMEC Pmeeting held in Juba on Thursday, General Gituai furthenr called on the RTGoNU to reconstitute the Commissions and Institutions, such as the National Audit Chamber and the Anti-Corruption Commission as per Articles 4.4 and 4.5 of the R-ARCSS at the national level, as envisaged in the Peace Agreement.

While the RJMEC Chair noted that some progress has been made in the areas of governance, economics, transitional justice, and the permanent constitution-making process, a critical concern remains on the Transitional Security Arrangements, especially the unification of forces, their redeployment and the DDR process, which he said, is the backbone of the Agreement. 

He appealed to the leadership of the Parties to urgently resolve the issue of the ratio of the unified forces and the unified command structure of the Necessary Unified Forces (NUF).

On the humanitarian situation, there are 700,000 people affected by flooding in 27 counties across eight states, with the worst affected States being Jonglei, Unity, Northern Bahr el Ghazal and Upper Nile, according to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA). 

“Over two-thirds of the flood-affected counties are confronted with high levels of food insecurity, poor access to basic services and face the threat of water borne diseases,”said Gen. Gituai.

“The scale of humanitarian need in South Sudan should focus our minds on the urgency of establishing the overdue Special Reconstruction Fund (SRF), which is clearly much needed. I urge the RTGoNU to work closely with international partners to establish the Board of the SRF without further delay,” he added.

Furthermore, General Gituai said, the safety of humanitarian workers remains a major concern, which, he added, involve violence and threats against personnel and assets,” 

“I would like to urge the RTGoNU and all concerned parties to ensure the protection and safety of aid workers to enable the delivery of much needed humanitarian services,” he said.  

He concluded, “I reiterate my concern that we are already behind the agreed timelines and the implementation schedule. According to the timelines of the Agreement, it is 16 months to the end of the Transitional Period. Despite all that has been achieved, a lot remains to be done.”