CEPO calls for IGAD meeting on South Sudan

JUBA, FEBRUARY 20^th 2023 (SUDANS POST) – South Sudan’s civil society watchdog, the Community Empowerment for Progress Organization (CEPO) is calling for a high-level of the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) on South Sudan as end of the transitional period ends this week.

IGAD mediated the revitalized peace agreement and some of its countries – such as Sudan and Uganda – are guarantors of the 2018 peace agreement. The implementation of the deal has been slow and as the transitional period provided for in that deal ends on Wednesday key tasks remaining not implemented.

In a statement signed by its executive director Edmund Yakani, CEPO called for a meeting of the IGAD heads of state and government to take concrete decisions on the political transition in South Sudan as its end in two days.

“CEPO calls for holding of IGAD head of states and governments summit on South Sudan in Juba. Sudan as chair of IGAD and guarantors of the R-ARCSS should hold IGAD head of states and governments summit on South Sudan political transitional status,” CEPO said in the statement extended to Sudans Post.

“It is essential to hold IGAD head of state and governments summit to evaluate and assess the status of progress made in line with the implementation of the R-ARCSS as the period of 36 months officially is ending and kick-of the extended 24 months begins,” the statement added.

Yakani said that the regional bloc needs to be proactive and open-minded on South Sudan as the parties to the revitalized peace agreement have already agreed for a twenty-four month extension of the transitional period.

“The IGAD leadership is required to be more proactive in the face of the extended 24 months for implementing the pending tasks of the R-ARCSS. If IGAD leadership decided to sit back like it did during the 36-months transitional period, the extended 24 months for implementing the pending tasks of the R-ARCSS will face the same challenges of the first 36 months transitional period. Already key deadlines were violated by the parties with the spirit of the extended 24 months or roadmap for implementing the pending tasks of the R-ARCSS. IGAD urgent head of state and governments summit is required to take stock on the fate of the 24 months extended,” Yakani said.

“The political leadership in the country are not will to smoothly implement the pending tasks of the R-ARCSS due to their high level of deficit in trust and confidence including spoilers of genuine implementation of the R-ARCSS feel very powerful and ready to undermine any amounting pressure on them. Therefore, leadership need to act now foe holding head of states and governments summit,” Yakani stressed.