Speaking during a two-day IGAD-convened meeting of the Parties to the Revitalized Agreement in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa on Thursday, RJMEC Interim Chairperson Ambassador Lt. Gen. Augostino Njoroge, said, 

 “In spite of the moderate progress made in the implementation of the Pre-Transitional tasks, several challenges have continued to undermine the functionality of Agreement institutions and mechanisms..

“My greatest concern is the delayed operationalization of the cantonment sites, despite my repeated appeal to the Parties to expedite this process. To my knowledge, as I speak, there is not a single cantonment site that is operational,” he added.

In his statement Amb. Njoroge said, “The outcomes of this meeting will be critical in informing my recommendation to the IGAD leadership, galvanizing public trust in the peace process and will demonstrate your commitment to implement the Peace Agreement.

In RJMEC’s assessment, Amb. Njoroge said, 59 key tasks were required to be implemented prior to the commencement of the Transitional Period. 

“To-date, 27 out of the 59 have been completed, 17 are ongoing and 15 are pending. Unfortunately, the pending tasks are the most critical and consequential to the implementation of the Agreement,” he said.