South Sudanese Parties Urged to Implement Agreement in Remaining Months

Addis Ababa August 21/2019 The regional group IGAD and the international community have called on South Sudanese parties to implement the Revitalized Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in the country in the coming three months.

The South Sudanese ruling and opposition parties had agreed to realize the revitalized agreement with six months from May 2019 and form a unity government.

A one-day consultation meeting on the progress of the implementation the agreement was held in Addis Ababa today.

Opening the meeting, Foreign Affairs Minister and IGAD Chairman Gedu Andargachew said the holding of the ceasefire agreement has silenced the guns across South Sudan.

“This is an encouraging achievement which is certainly contributing towards alleviating the lack of trust among the parties and helping them to work together for peace,” the chairman added.

However, Gedu noted that there is lack of progress in implementing the critical issues to meet the deadline.

“The security arrangement plan, which should lead to the establishment of a unified army and other security, is not progressing as fast as it should. Cantonment sites and barracks are not also operational as planned,” he said.

 The 12 November 2019 deadline is non-extendable, Gedu stressed, adding that “any further delay will have the risk of plunging South Sudan into another cycle of conflict and violence; and this is not in the best interest of the peace and stability of the country and indeed the region.”

IGAD Executive Secretary Mahboub Maalim said on his part the international community and the South Sudanese people are waiting for this consultation in order to bring concrete solutions to expedite the peace process in the remaining three months.

 IGAD will give the necessary support as usual for the effectiveness of the process, both in diplomacy and finance, he pledged.

According to him, the security arrangement and the boundaries of the states are still the sticking issues.

After gaining independence, South Sudan descended into civil war two years later. A peace deal was signed last September between the two sides, after a string of failed agreements.