SPLM-IO official says peace deal may take 10 years to implement, cites lack of political will

JUBA – A senior member of South Sudan’s main armed opposition group, SPLM-IO, has said that there is lack of political will among the parties for the implementation of the revitalized peace agreement saying its implementation may take ten years to complete.

The SPLM-IO and the former ITGONU led by President Salva Kiir signed the deal on September 12, 2020. Two years into the agreement, crucial provisions of the deal, with most notable being the security arrangement,  formation of governments at state and local levels and the incorporation of the agreement into laws, remain behind schedule.

In a statement this morning, Nathaniel Pierino, the SPLM-IO representative to the National Constitutional Amendment Committee (NCAC), a body established under the deal to work for incorporation of the agreement into teh country’s transitional constitution, said the agreement has become elastic and all provisions have remained behind schedule.

“Nearly Eight (8 ) months of the Transitional Period and after over Two (2) years of a signed Agreement the parties have nothing yet tangible to show. The Pre-Transitional Period of Eight (08) months on the matrix became elastic. It took Seventeen (17) Months moreover without completing the tasks meant for that period. Today after nearly one year of Transitional Period, the task that were meant for Pre-Transitional period have not been completed, especially,” Pierino said.

The senior opposition official the provisions of the agreement that are still behind schedule include “Completing the Unification of forces of the military, and other organized forces, Incorporating the agreement into the constitution and ratifying it into the law, The passing into law of the amendments of security related laws and political parties Act, Completing task necessary for the formation of RTGNU, including Submissions of nominees for Legislature, etc. and finally Establishment of RTGNU at all levels.”

He said even if the political will would exist, the agreement will take ten years to have all its provisions implemented.

“Mathematically, if the will for the agreement shall be there, and at the current phase of implementation, the parties may need to secure at least Ten (10) years more of Transitional period to implement the agreement,” he said.

He criticized the parties’ will in the implementation of the agreement saying they are “turning the R-ARCSS,(2018) into a “Gentlemen Agreement”. The parties are yet to meet provisions that are not easy go, especially those that are politically more sensitive than those that the parties are currently grappling with.

“The Security Sector and economic reforms, the Census; the implementation of federalism, the Permanent Constitution and its processes, the mother of all stalemate; the transitional justice mechanism especially the Hybrid Court, and the National Elections; Just to mention but few.”