Watchdog launches initiative to motivate leaders in peace implementation  

JUBA – South Sudan’s Community Empowerment for Progress Organization (CEPO) has said that it has launched a process to influence and motivate the country’s peace parties for the timely implementation of the revitalized peace agreement.

The initiative by the prominent civil society watchdog comes less than a month after the parties to the revitalized peace deal and the transitional government agreed to extend the transitional period from the February 22^nd deadline for at least twenty-four months ending with general elections in February 2025.

In a statement extended to Sudans Post, CEPO said the campaign will focus on three main issues of the transitional period such as the organization of political parties process, the constitution-making process and the national elections preparedness process.

“CEPO launched a strategy of influencing the South Sudan parties to genuine implement the pending tasks of the transitional period through the adopted roadmap of the R-ARCSS. CEPO strategy focus on taking action on three milestones namely political parties process, constitution making process and national elections process,” the statement reads in part.

“These three milestones were pre-conditioned with three beach marks namely unification and reform of Security and defense sectors, financial and economic reforms and transitional justice. All these tasks require conducive environment of engagement that is characterized with political,” the statement added.

Yakani said when contacted by Sudans Post that “the strategy will be used as a way of engaging the political parties and the citizens constructively or dealings with the pending tasks of the R-ARCSS per the chapters.”

“This strategy is totally aiming at ensuring peaceful and honorable transfer of political power from one political establishment to the political establishment that gains the power and trust of the citizens through ballot box by bullet of the gun,” Yakani stressed.

The outspoken activist further said that South Sudan leaders “in their political parties should now know that no more extensions of the transitional period to postpone the elections slated for 22 December 2024.”

He said that 22^nd of December should be a date for determination of a new political pathway for securing peace and stable society of South Sudan. The time is now at the hands of our leaders to change their political attitudes from fearing each other to deal the R-ARCSS to political attitudes of working together and creating conducive environment for citizens to decide who will lease them to better future through exercise of elections but rebellions or military and security imposing of self in power.

“The roadmap is the final examination for our current incumbent political leaders in South Sudan. Finally, CEPO is rolling out the strategy next week and we urge the citizens and political parties to take time for engagement on our strategy.”