WITH JUST 12 MONTHS LEFT OF THE TRANSITIONAL PERIOD, KEY TASKS REMAIN OUTSTANDING

Thursday, 10 February 2022 17:03

Communication Office

PRESS RELEASE

(For Immediate Publication)

Thursday, 10 February, 2022, Juba, South SudaN

WITH JUST 12 MONTHS LEFT OF THE TRANSITIONAL PERIOD, KEY TASKS REMAIN OUTSTANDING

With just 12 months left before the end of the Transitional Period, critical tasks of the Revitalised Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in the Republic of South Sudan (R-ARCSS) remain unimplemented.

Speaking during the 21st plenary meeting of the Reconstituted Joint Monitoring and Evaluation Commission (RJMEC) on Thursday 10 February 2022 in Juba, Interim Chairperson Maj. Gen. Charles Tai Gituai said:

“There is now just 12 months left of the Transitional Period, and elections are due to take place 60 days before it ends, and yet key unimplemented tasks are outstanding.”

These tasks, the Interim Chairperson outlined in his opening remarks, include: 

i)               Several important pieces of legislation are not ratified and state governments are not fully functioning;

ii)             the forces are not unified;

iii)            the Special Reconstruction Fund is not established, and millions of South Sudanese remain in refugee camps outside the country or in IDP camps;

iv)            public financial management reforms remain largely undone;

v)             the transitional justice mechanisms are not established; and

vi)            beyond the drafting of its legislation, the constitution-making process is not progressing as expected.  

“At this crucial stage of implementation, and with such a comparatively short time left in the Transitional Period, your insights on the challenges facing South Sudan are vital,” Maj. Gen. Gituai told the meeting.

In his recommendations, Maj. Gen. Gituai urged the Reconstituted Transitional National Legislative Assembly (TNLA) to expedite the enactment of the pending security, political parties and constitution making bills. He further urged the Revitalised Transitional Government of National Unity (RTGoNU) to make financial resources available for the completion of the Transitional Security Arrangements, including redeployment of unified forces, as well as for DDR programmes.

On the humanitarian situation in the country, the Interim Chairperson urged the RTGoNU to work closely with international partners to establish the Board of the Special Reconstruction Fund, in line also with the recent African Union Peace and Security Council, meeting resolutions. This is especially important, he said, considering the humanitarian and reconstruction challenges facing the country, including the continued need for aid for flood-affected communities.

“The living conditions of flood-affected people in displacement sites remain dire and are likely to further deteriorate with the onset of seasonal rains. There are many hundreds of thousands of flood-affected people requiring humanitarian assistance,” the Interim Chairperson added.

FULL STATEMENT: https://jmecsouthsudan.org/index.php/jmec-statements/item/599-statement-by-h-e-maj-gen-charles-tai-gituai-rtd-interim-chairperson-rjmec-to-the-21st-rjmec-monthly-meeting-thursday-10-february-2022-juba-south-sudan 

ENDS