STATEMENT

BY

H.E. LT. GEN. AUGOSTINO S.K. NJOROGE

INTERIM CHAIRPERSON 

OF THE RECONSTITUTED JOINT 

MONITORING & EVALUATION COMMISSION

TO THE

4th RJMEC MONTHLY MEETING

Thursday, 07 March 2019

JUBA, SOUTH SUDAN

Honourable Ministers, 

Excellencies, 

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Good morning. 

1. I would like to start by welcoming you all to the fourth RJMEC monthly meeting.

2. I will divide my statement broadly into three sections. In the first section, I will provide an update on actions taken in fulfilment of our resolution in the last regular meeting. In the second part, I will highlight progress and challenges encountered in the implementation of the peace agreement to date, and in the third part, I will make some observations and conclude with my expectations for the coming period. 

Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen;

3. In our last meeting, among other things, we reiterated our call for the immediate establishment of the IBC; reconstitution of the DDR Commission. We reminded all parties to observe the 35% representation of women; adopted the decision of our sub-committee on the NCAC matter and directed the NCAC to proceed accordingly with the constitutional amendment process. 

4. We further called upon the incumbent TGoNU to make the reports of its investigation into cases of SGBV reported in Bentiu and the Luri incident public, and to take action against the perpetrators. 

5. We expressed our concerns about the delayed appointment of the RJMEC Chairperson and requested the Office of the Chairperson of the IGAD Council of Ministers to expedite the appointment process.

6. We encouraged all the Parties and stakeholders to undertake joint and coordinated dissemination of the R-ARCSS and expressed our deep concerns on the reported rising insecurity in and around the Yei area. In this regard, we urged Gen. Thomas Cirillo Swaka and all non-signatories to join in the implementation of the peace agreement. 

7. Last but not least, you requested me to convene an urgent extra-ordinary meeting of the RJMEC with partners, friends and all interested actors, to discuss the serious financial and other challenges impacting on the smooth implementation of the peace agreement and to chart practical ways forward.

Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen;

8.To start with the last action point, I am happy to report that the 1st Extraordinary meeting of the RJMEC was successfully held on 19th February 2019 and discussed openly the funding challenges affecting the implementation of the pre-transitional activities. The NPTC presented its approved budget of US Dollars 285 million for the Pre-Transitional Period and its action plan. 

9. The transparent and detailed budget presentation by the NPTC contributed to a good debate and very useful observations on the NPTC budget, with valuable practical proposals made for cost-cutting and the need for prioritisation. This approach should continue. I want to thank all RJMEC members, partners and friends of South Sudan who attended the meeting and engaged with the NPTC. 

10. I also thank the NPTC for its willingness to engage and for being receptive to new ideas. 

11. That said, funding still remains a big concern. As RJMEC we welcome the recent decision by the incumbent TGoNU to allocate an additional 10 Million US Dollars as initial funding to the NPTC. I hope that it will be made available to the NPTC without further delay. This allocation, however, only covers a small fraction-3.5% of the estimated financing needs.  

12. We appreciate all those who have already contributed like Japan or made pledges like Egypt and South Africa to support implementation. We continue to appeal for more support to the peace agreement from all our partners and friends.

Excellency, ladies and gentlemen;

13. On the establishment of the IBC, there has been some commendable progress so far. The Republic of South Africa has submitted the name of its nominee to IGAD. This now brings the total number of AU C5 nominees to three, leaving only Rwanda and Chad pending. 

14. As the Chair of the AU C5, the representative of South Africa is expected to chair the IBC and accordingly, the IBC can now be established. This was the same guidance we received from the Office of the Chairperson of the IGAD Council of Ministers and the same message has been forwarded to the IGAD Executive Secretary for his immediate action.

15. There has been some progress on the reconstitution of the DDR Commission. The Parties have agreed to nominate representatives to discuss with the NPTC and incumbent TGoNU modalities for the reconstitution of the DDR Commission. They have requested the IGAD Special Envoy for South Sudan to facilitate this process and he has gracefully accepted to do so. We hope, therefore, that this matter will be concluded in the next couple of days.

16. With regard to the 35% representation of women, RJMEC welcomes the assurance given to women representatives by H.E. President Salva Kiir Mayardit that their 35% is guaranteed. I urge all parties to fulfil this commitment in letter and spirit. 

17. On the investigation into the cases of SGBV reported in Bentiu, I am yet to receive a report from the incumbent TGoNU despite several reminders. The UN Human Rights Commission has published its own findings, but we hope that the government will give us a conclusive report on this matter and take action against identified perpetrators.

18. On the reported assault on the CTSAMVM team at Luri, I received correspondence from the Minister of Cabinet Affairs indicating that “the Internal Security Bureau instituted a fact-finding committee to investigate the matter in question and as a result of their report some administrative measures have been taken against elements involved.” 

19. The letter further claims that “CTSAMVM/MVT accessed security restricted areas without proper coordination with authorities concerned and beyond they magnified and exaggerated the incident scene reporting.” 

20. I welcome the correspondence from the incumbent TGoNU on this matter however I have requested for further details, including the full investigation report and details of the specific actions taken.

Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen;

21. On the appointment of the RJMEC Chairperson, I have information from the IGAD office that steps have been taken in this regard and that the IGAD Heads of State and Government are fully seized of this matter.

22. On the need for continued confidence building measures, joint and coordinated dissemination of the R-ARCSS, I am encouraged by the efforts being made by the Parties and all stakeholders involved. We have witnessed some practical steps being taken to make the peace agreement reach all the people of South Sudan. I will return to this later in my updates on implementation progress.   

23. Finally, on the reported rise in insecurity in and around the Yei area and the appeal to all non-signatories to join in the implementation of the peace agreement, some good progress has been made. The IGAD Special Envoy has held frank discussions with Gen. Thomas Cirillo of NAS and Gen. Paul Malong Awan, both of whom have indicated their willingness to engage.  We expect these engagements to intensify and conclude in the next couple of weeks.

Excellency, ladies and gentlemen;

24. On the reservations registered by the SPLM/A-IO with regard to the RJMEC decision on the NCAC constitutional amendment process and on the description of the system of government during the Pre-Transitional and Transitional Periods, I have received a response from the IGAD Special Envoy for South Sudan which I have communicated to the SPLM/A-IO leadership and to all members of RJMEC. 

25. In summary, the Special Envoy endorsed the decision of the RJMEC and that of the NCAC and observed that there were no violations of the R-ARCSS by RJMEC and the NCAC as alleged by the SPLM/A-IO.  

26. Even though, the SPLM/A-IO has also rejected the Special Envoy’s guidance on this matter and further appealed to the IGAD Summit, the endorsed RJMEC decision stands, until the IGAD Summit directs otherwise. 

Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen;

27. I now turn to the second section of my statement to provide updates on the status of the implementation of the peace agreement.

28. I will start with the critical role of the NPTC and its responsibility during this Pre-Transitional Period. I am encouraged that the budget for the Pre-Transitional Period has been developed and approved by the incumbent TGoNU and it is now out for support by government, partners and stakeholders. 

29. I congratulate the NPTC for this important achievement and I encourage them to spare no effort in soliciting funds and other support from the incumbent TGoNU and from all partners and friends of South Sudan.

30. Dissemination of the R-ARCSS continues to progress, with a focus on reaching as wide as possible. RJMEC Secretariat has completed the translation of public service announcements into Juba Arabic, Dinka, and Nuer. Broadcasting is due to commence shortly following quality assessment. Translation into Shilluk, Bari and Xande is also in the pipeline

31. Thousands of copies of the R-ARCSS have been distributed to places and institutions both inside and outside of Juba. These range from government ministries to civil society organizations and to Protection of Civilian camps. 

32. I wish to commend H.E. President Salva Kiir Mayardit for his Presidential Tour initiative to Bahr el Ghazal region in dissemination of the peace agreement. I urge all parties to continue with the mobilisation of grassroots support for the peace agreement.  

33. We at RJMEC continue our dissemination in coordination with the IGAD, NPTC, CTSAMVM, UNMISS, and other stakeholders including civil society organizations.

Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen;

34. The NCAC continues to make progress. You may recall that the NCAC submitted the Constitutional Amendment Bill to the Minister of Justice and Constitutional Affairs a few weeks ago. The incumbent TGoNU Council of Ministers has subsequently endorsed this Bill and it is now scheduled to be submitted to the Transitional National Legislative Assembly. 

35. Furthermore, the NCAC has concluded its review and amendment of the relevant Security related legislations, except the Fire Brigade Service Act 2009 which apparently does not exist.

36. The NCAC has also successfully held a stakeholders’ validation workshop on the revised security laws, for which I must congratulate them. The NCAC Chairperson will provide more details shortly in his report.

37. The Technical Boundary Committee (TBC) has been working since its establishment on 9 January 2019. It is regrettable that two members of the TBC representing the Troika resigned recently. However, the TBC had already made significant progress and is expected to conclude its work in the next few days and to embark on report writing. 

38. Security wise, the CTSAMVM report indicates that the permanent ceasefire is largely respected and is being observed by all the Parties to the R-ARCSS.  The situation in and around Yei, where fighting was previously reported with NAS forces, is currently calm but remains unpredictable.

39. The JDB has reached agreement on cantonment sites for all opposition forces and designated barracks for government forces. This is a significant milestone for which the JDB and all involved in this process must be commended. 

40. The SDSR Board, JMCC, JTSC and CTSAMVM Board have all been meeting and we shall hear reports of their progress shortly.

Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen;

41. There are recurring challenges that must be of concern to all of us. Time is fast running out. We are in the sixth month of the Pre-Transitional Period, with barely two months to go and several targets have been missed. The IBC is yet to be established, the DDR Commission has not been reconstituted and the cantonment of forces has not yet begun.  

42. Access for CTSAMVM MVTs continues to be a challenge. CTSAMVM reported denial of access in Gorom/Tishora area, Torit and Morobo recently. I am perturbed that despite our repeated plea that CTSAMVM be given full access to perform their duties, the denial of access to CTSAMVM continues with impunity. I urge the JDB to take this matter seriously and ensure that there is no further denial of access to CTSAMVM.

Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen;

43. The humanitarian situation remains dire. According to UN OCHA’s recent report, more than 4 million of the population are still displaced. Almost 6.5 million of the population are food insecure.  It is estimated that more than 9,500 people fled the recent fighting in and around Yei town.

44. However, I am encouraged that the reported number of humanitarian access impediments remain low. Only 35 access incidents were reported in January and I look forward to the number of humanitarian access impediments reducing even further. 

45. In our last regular meeting, the Government committed itself to reconvene the meetings of the Humanitarian High-Level Oversight Committee and the Humanitarian Coordination Forum, but these have not taken place. I would like to encourage that these meetings are held as soon as possible to facilitate a further reduction in the number of reported humanitarian access impediments.

46. On the economy, there are some signs of normality returning. Oil fields in Unity that had been closed during the fighting are now being reopened, which has boosted total production by 33,000 barrels per day in January 2019, an increase of 25% over the average daily production in 2018. 

47. The increase in oil revenue should enhance the government’s capacity to finance the implementation of the development strategy as well as to support the implementation of the R-ARCSS. These objectives can be achieved by putting in place a transparent and accountable system to manage the oil and non-oil revenues.  

48. Agriculture is a crucial sector to be prioritised as it is the mainstay of the economy. According to the Food and Agriculture Organization, production continues to be severely depressed compared with the pre–conflict period. The conflict-related displacement has seriously impacted the agriculture sector, thus stressing the importance of the return of people to underpin recovery.

Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen;

49. Turning to the third and final section of my statement, we are at a critical juncture in the implementation of the revitalised peace agreement. I am concerned about the slow pace of our progress, especially the functionality and capacity of some critical agreement institutions and mechanisms. 

50. I recently received a letter from the Chairman of CTSAMVM proposing temporary cost-cutting measures in order to address ongoing budgetary constraints. He will present greater detail shortly in his report.

51. While we must all tighten our belts and embrace financial prudence, it is clear that some of these drastic measures will negatively impact on our ability to effectively implement or monitor the peace agreement. I, therefore, urge our partners who have been supporting CTSAMVM, and us all, to continue doing so.

Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen;

52. In conclusion, my expectations for the coming period are as follows: 

53. I expect that the diplomatic efforts currently underway to engage all non-signatories to the R-ARCSS will be intensified and concluded within the shortest time possible.

54. I expect the incumbent TGoNU to make good on its pledges to the NPTC, and that the NPTC will immediately channel the requisite resources to all the implementation mechanisms to enable them to discharge their mandate. I urge the NPTC not to lose its momentum in mobilising resources from elsewhere.

55. I also expect the NCAC to continue with the commendable work they are doing, conclude the reviews and amendments of the security laws, and submit them to the incumbent Minister of Justice and Constitutional Affairs.

56. I expect that the IBC and DDR Commission shall be established and reconstituted respectively at the earliest possible time. I also expect the TBC to conclude its work and submit its report to IGAD. 

57. I further demand that CTSAMVM from now on be allowed free and unimpeded access to carry out its mandate.

58. It is my hope that adequate resources will be availed to CTSAMVM to perform its critical missions.

59. I also expect the JDB to explore and deploy all practical measures to expedite the cantonment, training and the unification of all forces.

Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen;

60. I wish to commend the leadership of the agreement parties for the commitment demonstrated so far in the implementation of the peace agreement. I urge you all to continue to faithfully implement the agreement and even do more. 

61. I also thank our international partners and friends for their continued support to the implementation of the peace agreement and urge them to continue with the same spirit. 

62. Like I have said before, this agreement belongs to the people of South Sudan. I expect them to demonstrate their ownership by assuming the lead in its implementation. 

63. I wish all of us fruitful deliberations today. I thank you.

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