November 1st 2019 (Nyamilepedia) – South Sudan President Salva Kiir Mayardit has admitted that government failure to pay the National Pre-Transitional Committee (NPTC) resulted in the delay of the implementation of the revitalized peace agreement.
The government and several opposition groups signed a revitalized peace agreement in September last year to end the ongoing civil war which began as power wrangling within the ruling SPLM party between him and SPLM-IO leader Dr. Riek Machar in December 2013.
The agreement established and tasked the NPTC for implementation of pre-transitional tasks viable for the formation of what would be the Reconstituted Transitional Government of National Unity (R-TGoNU) which is expected by November 12th as agreed by the parties in May this year.
Kiir had said he will form the unity government on time as agreed but hinted at its postponement on Thursday telling army generals during the opening session of the 7th army command in Bilpam that he is being pressured by unnamed regional and international powers to first implement the outstanding issues.
The delay would be a huge win for main armed opposition group SPLM-IO whose leader Dr. Riek Machar threatened to opt out of the unity government if formed by November without the outstanding issues being settled.
“The work of the NPTC and its support organs has substantially been delayed because of the inability of the government to pay all the money it has pledged in time,” said Kiir during the launch the 7th SSPDF Military Command Council at Bilpam on Thursday.
“But we are determined and very much committed to the disbursement of the money the government pledged so that the NPTC and its associated organs complete the remaining provisions and activities of the revitalized agreement implementation,” he added.
