The Reconstituted Joint Monitoring and Evaluation Commission (RJMEC) on Wednesday, 5 February, 2025, addressed the 9855th sitting of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC), in New York.

Giving a detailed status of the implementation of the Revitalised Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in the Republic of South Sudan (R-ARCSS), RJMEC Interim Chairperson, Amb. Maj. Gen. Charles Tai Gituai said:

“With the extended Transitional Period due to begin in just over two weeks, key immediate requirements are the demonstration of political will and provision of funding for the Agreement institutions and mechanisms.”

Also required “with a sense of urgency” he said, are the harmonisation of the work plans of the National Elections Commission (NEC) and National Constitutional Review Commission (NCRC), and completion of the unification of forces.”

In terms of the Permanent Ceasefire and the Transitional Security Arrangements, Amb. Gituai reported that “recent skirmishes in Western Equatoria State between the South Sudan People’s Defence Forces (SSPDF) and SPLM/A-IO over the removal of illegal checkpoints are concerning” adding that the Ceasefire & Transitional Security Arrangements Monitoring & Verification Mechanism (CTSAMVM) has been tasked to investigate and forward the report to RJMEC.

He added, “Persistent levels of inter-communal violence in some parts of the country continue to create disruption, and anxiety and is unsettling.” 

On the ongoing Tumaini process in Nairobi, Kenya, Amb. Gituai said: 

“The people of South Sudan are looking forward to a positive outcome of these talks and hoping that it will bring practical and enhanced transformative approaches in addressing the root causes of conflict, and will hasten the implementation of the Peace Agreement.

In his conclusion, Amb. Gituai appealed to the Council to remain seized of the peace process in South Sudan, as it enters critical phase of the extended transitional period, and to encourage the international community to mobilise resources and political support to help South Sudan conduct its first democratic elections in December 2026.  

FULL STATEMENT: https://bit.ly/4gwq3sV