They highlight that during the last year there was a “slow” application due to the increase in violence
The governments of the United States, Norway and the United Kingdom, which make up the so-called ‘troika’ for South Sudan, have demanded this Monday the “urgent” application of the clauses of the 2018 peace agreement with a view to holding the next elections and have pointed to a “slow” and “limited” application of the same.
The three governments have highlighted that this day commemorates the anniversary of the formation of the unity government that emerged from the historic pact, which they have described as “a great step to restore peace in South Sudan”, while applauding “all the efforts “to apply its clauses.
Among these advances, the creation of a unity government and the appointment of governors in all the states of the country, a process that suffered months of postponement, as well as the establishment of transitional justice institutions included in the peace agreement of 2018, including a truth commission.
“Much work remains and there is an urgent need to implement the peace agreement in its entirety”, they have stated, before lamenting that “the progress achieved in the last year has been too slow and limited” and betting on “immediate” training. of state governments and the formation of the transitional Parliament.
In this way, they have emphasized that “the implementation of the transitional security agreements and a true reform of the security sector must start immediately”, while showing their support for the efforts to unify the security forces.
“The ‘troika’ calls for the beginning of the process of drafting the Constitution and preparations for peaceful, credible and inclusive elections after the transition. There is an urgent need to continue the implementation of reforms (…) on transparency and accountability of accounts “, they have underlined.
In this sense, they have argued in their statement that, although they applaud the appointment of three women as deputy governors, they regret that “it has failed to guarantee a 35 percent female representation, as contemplated in the peace agreement.” .
On the other hand, they have highlighted that the ceasefire agreement “has been generally respected”, although they have stressed that “the level of violence in the country, including the conflict caused by desertions, is unacceptable”, therefore He has asked the armed groups that continue to dialogue with the Government to achieve peace “to guarantee respect for the ceasefire agreement and to continue in the political dialogue.”
HUMANITARIAN CRISIS
“We are deeply concerned that violence is exacerbating an already dire humanitarian situation, with 7.2 million people facing severe levels of food insecurity and more people in need than in any other year since South Sudan’s independence,” They have said.
For this reason, they have asked the Government to “guarantee an immediate reduction in subnational conflicts and unrestricted humanitarian access”, referring to the rebound in intercommunity clashes registered in recent months, especially in central areas of the African country.
The statement was released after the special representative of the UN General Secretariat in South Sudan, David Shearer, in January asked the signing parties to “accelerate efforts” to unify the security forces and put the new Parliament for the holding of the next elections.
The Presidency of South Sudan announced in early January that the parties to the peace agreement had agreed once again to extend the transition period, this time until 2023, to allow for the application of the clauses of the pact, which have suffered delays in some of its most important points.
To date, two other extensions of the transition period have been agreed, the first one announced in May 2019 for a period of six months, after the former rebel leader and current First Vice President of the country, Riek Machar, asked for time to apply some clauses related to security.
The Unity Government in South Sudan was launched after the materialization of the agreement signed by the president, Salva Kiir, and Machar, who was reappointed to the position he held before the civil war. Among the main pending issues are the unification of the security forces and the reconstitution of Parliament, the body that will be in charge of implementing the reforms agreed in 2018 between the parties.
