Kiir, Machar extends transitional period through 2025

JUBA – President Salva Kiir Mayardit and his first deputy, Dr. Riek Machar Teny, on Thursday afternoon extended the transitional period for at least two years to enable for implementation of the remaining tasks of the revitalized peace deal.

The two rivals signed the peace agreement in September 2018 in Addis Ababa following months of tough negotiations in the Sudanese capital Khartoum with hopes of ending the suffering of the people of South Sudan in the conflict that has killed half a million and displaced millions to internal and external camps.

The agreement provides for an eight-month transitional period and a thirty-six-month transitional period after which general elections are conducted in December 2022 for the people of South Sudan to choose a leader of their own.

But the commencement of the transitional was delayed for more than a year but yet, crucial tasks provided for in the agreement remained lagging as of today with parties blaming each other for the delay in the implementation of the agreement.

Last month, President Kiir proposed a peace roadmap to extend the transitional period and guide the parties through the implementation of the remaining provisions of the agreement.

Reading out President Kiir’s peace roadmap, at the Freedom Hall in Juba on Thursday afternoon, cabinet minister Martin Elia Lomuro said most provisions of the revitalized peace agreement have not been implemented and therefore the parties have agreed to extend the transitional period through February 2025.

“The extended meeting of the presidency of the 21^st of July, which was attended by representatives of the parties to the agreement, endorsed the roadmap proposed by H.E the President, President Salva Kiir Mayardit, on peaceful transition democratic elections and the meeting resolved to extend the transitional period of the R-ARCISS and directed the high-level standing committee to receive contributions of other parties to the agreement and incorporate them into the president’s roadmap,” he said.

“The committee considered the contributions of the other parties to the agreement and further deliberated on the extended period. After lengthy deliberation, the committee agreed to extend the transitional period by 24 months from the end of the transitional period on 22^nd of February 2023 to 22^nd of February 2025,” he added.

The senior government official citied the article 8.4 of the revitalized peace agreement that gives the parties the right to decide if they are to extend the transitional period and said elections will be conducted in December 2024.

“That means elections will be held in December 2024,” Lomuro said.

“The harmonized roadmap was resubmitted to a second-extended meeting of the presidency in which article 8.4 of R-ARCISS was invoked to approve the amendment of extension of the transitional period from 22nd of February 2023 to 22nd February 2025 with elections held in December 2024,” he added.