June 23rd 2019 (Nyamilepedia) – Lack of adequate funds for the implementation of the revitalized peace agreement signed last year in Addis Ababa by the government and rebel groups will affect and delay the government formation in November, a close aide to opposition leader Dr. Riek Machar said.
South Sudan government and opposition groups in September last year signed a revitalized version of a 2015 peace agreement and vowed to form a Transitional Government of National Unity (R-TGONU) by May 12th 2019.
However, due to failure by a peace implementation agency called the NPTC to meet its obligations due to funding issues, the parties, during a meeting in Addis Ababa in May, decided to adjourn the government formation to November 12th.
During that meeting, the government pledged to allocate $100 million for the NPTC [National Pre-transitional Committee] to run its activities so that there is an environment for the formation of the unity government in November.
However, in an interview with the Nyamilepedia on Sunday, Manawa Peter Gatkuoth, the SPLM-IO Deputy Chairperson of National Committee for Information and Public Relations said from Juba that the government hasn’t paid the money it allocated for the implementation of the revitalized peace agreement and that he believes the government will not be in place in November.
“I don’t think the government will be formed in November because only 2 million dollar of the 100 million dollar the government said will pay for the peace implementation has been received by the NPTC and has already been allocated for the cantonment of forces,” Manawa said from Juba on Sunday.
“Now, you are remaining with four months and out of the said money, two percent have been paid, so if you are going to receive two per cent of those money every two months, it will take years to fund the required activities that must be in place before the government is formed,” Gatkuoth added
He said the work on necessary unified forces needed in place before the government formation has not been started and so he is not sure if the government will really be in place by November 12th as agreed during the early May Addis Ababa meeting.
