![South Sudan minister of information Michael Makuei Lueth speaks to journalists following a cabinet meeting in Juba on Friday, November 3, 2023. [Photo by Sudans Post]](https://i0.wp.com/www.sudanspost.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/IMG_6341.jpg?resize=1024%2C626&ssl=1)
“We found that the NTC was not delivering,” Makuei told reporters during a press conference held in Juba on Friday. “So, we came up with a new body in its place called the National Implementation Oversight Commission (NIOC).”
The NTC, led by Presidential Advisor Tut Gatluak, was tasked with overseeing the peace agreement’s implementation.
However, critics pointed to the slow deployment of the unified force, with only 3,774 troops out of the planned 53,000 deployed in the first phase.
The NTC also faced financial mismanagement accusations, including struggling to pay hotel bills for peace parties’ representatives.
The NIOC will be a smaller body with broader oversight. It will comprise a South Sudanese official, a Kenyan member of the Tumaini Initiative mediation process, and a representative from the donor community.
“These mechanisms will be overseeing the performance of the security and the governance sectors,” Makuei explained. “This NIOC will be responsible for the day-to-day activities in the implementation of the agreement.”
The government emphasized transparency in managing peace funds. The NIOC will require three signatures – from a South Sudanese official, a Kenyan representative, and a donor community member – to authorize any expenditure.
“We do it like that for the sake of the security of the funds that will be deposited,” Makuei said. “These people will be responsible for the signing of the cheque in these accounts.”
The move comes amid regional and international community concerns about potential misuse of funds.
“The international community and the region had been asking us, what is the guarantee that the money that we donate will not be misused and spent outside of what it was meant for,” Makuei stated.
The NTC’s dissolution follows criticism from lawmakers in May 2023, who questioned the body’s effectiveness.
