By Simon Deng
A deteriorating political situation in South Sudan has sent alarm in the region, according to its envoy, Ismail Wais.
Ismail Wais who is the special envoy for the Intergovernmental Authority on Development for South Sudan said there is urgent need for the parties to the revitalized peace agreement to pay respect to the country’s peace deal and implement it in letter and in spirit.
“I am alarmed honestly and saddened about the current development in our country and I would like really to ask our leaders in the Republic of South Sudan to respect peace, the wishes of the people, the interest of the region and go back to the path of peace and stability in this country,” Wais said in Juba on Tuesday.
‘What we need at these days is a region that is a road of development and progress, people everywhere are watching what we are doing and everywhere in our region and it is our responsibility to react to the wishes of those people, it is our responsibility indeed to implement in letter and in spirit the agreement which we have sign in 2018,” he said.
Charles Tai Gituai, the Interim Chairperson for the Reconstituted Joint Monitoring and Evaluation commission said South Sudanese needs to consider the progress made so far, noting the parties to the peace deal must restore broken promises.
“There is need to ensure that signed peace agreements are sustainable,” Gituai said.
“In that regards, I call upon the South Sudanese people to consider the progress made so far in the implementation of peace agreement and therefore adhere to commitment to peace, restore broken promises and relationships and build trust and confidence and echo political will to move the country forward,” Gituai said.
“There is need for cooperation, coordination, consensus and sacrifice in the implementation of the peace agreement for the good of the people of south Sudan in order to ensure we dwell in people in this country,” he said.
Irena Angelova, a Senior Human Rights Coordinator at the United Nations Mission in South Sudan said the mission acknowledges the progress taken in implementing the peace deal, but said critical benchmarks including the implementation of the security arrangement needs to be taken.
“While steps taken so far to implement the revitalized peace agreement are very welcome and very well acknowledged, critical benchmarks including the implementation of the transitional security arrangement, permanent constitution making and key electoral legislation remain outstanding, in addition, security situation is challenging in terms of sub national violence,” Angelova said.
“Civilian and military efforts complement each other, neither is effective on its own, we strongly encourage the government of south Sudan to develop and enhance its own mechanism,” she said.
