Communication Office

PRESS RELEASE

(For Immediate Publication)

Thursday, 2 June, 2022, Juba, South Sudan

AS THE TRANSITIONAL PERIOD LAPSES IN FEBRUARY 2023, THERE IS GROWING PUBLIC ANXIETY, FRUSTRATION, DESPAIR 

There is growing public anxiety and despair ahead of the expiry of the Transitional Period which ends in February next year, without the completion of critical pending tasks of the Revitalized Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in South Sudan (R-ARCSS).

Speaking during the 22nd Plenary meeting of the Reconstituted Joint Monitoring and Evaluation Commission (RJMEC) in Juba on 2 June 2022, RJMEC Interim Chairperson, Amb. Maj. Gen. Charles Tai Gituai said:

“The R-ARCSS lays the foundation for a united, peaceful and prosperous society based on justice, equality, respect for human rights and the rule of law” with about eight months to the end of the Transitional Period Maj. Gen. Gituai added that “continuous delays in the implementation of the Agreement have consequential effects as witnessed in the recent incidents of military defections and the associated violent confrontations.”

In addition, the Interim Chairperson expressed “serious concerns” regarding continuous occupation of civilian centers by the SSPDF (South Sudan People’s Defence Force) and SPLA-IO and attacks by the SSPDF on the SPLA-IO forces in Upper Nile and Unity States.

Most disturbingly, he said, are reports of Sexual and Gender-Based Violence (SGBV) in Koch and Leer Counties in Unity State, including deaths of unspecified numbers of people, destruction of property and displacement of civilians. 

Among the key pending tasks related to the Permanent Ceasefire and Transitional Security Arrangements in Chapeter II are:

·      Completion of the unification of the command structure at all levels of rank and file; 

·      Graduation and redeployment of Phase I of the Necessary Unified Forces (NUF) and commencement of Phase II cantonment and training;

·      Operationalization and funding of the DDR (Disarmament, Demobilisation and Reintegration) programmes as a critical component of unification of forces and long-term security; 

·      Logistics support for cantonment sites and training centres; and

·      Complete demilitarization of all civilian centres.  

In his address to the meeting, Maj. Gen. Gituai highlighted cross-cutting challenges which remain an obstacle to the implementation of the R-ARCSS. These include, he said, delayed Unification of Forces, lack of sufficient funding, military defections, trust deficit among parties, insufficient political will, capacity gaps and the cumulative effects of prolonged subnational conflicts across the country. 

Maj. Gen. Gituai further stressed on the importance of the Permanent Constitution making process and the need to carefully incoporate planning for the electoral process. He also reitarated the need for RTGoNU to urgently develop a roadmap on the way forward, in regard to implementing the remaining tasks, considering the limited time left before the expiry of the Transitional Period. 

ENDS