Juba, South Sudan,
July 09, 2021 – The leader of the Democratic Change Dr. Lam Akol has joined the call for the trashing of the 2018 peace agreement saying the country should focus on organizing the forthcoming elections.
In a statement seen by Nyamilepedia, Akol said the parties to the agreement are cherry-picking what they want to implement and what works to their interest but not that of the country.
“The parties to the 2018 peace agreement should take stock of the status of its implementation. The inescapable conclusion in this self-reflection is that they are on their own: no IGAD or international players are going to tell the major party to implement the agreement in ‘letter and spirit’,” he said.
“So, it will continue to cherry-pick what it wants to implement and whatnot. One doesn’t need to be a guru to arrive at this conclusion, we have seen that since 2018 and the correct reading of the political kaleidoscope points out clearly that nothing is likely to change,” warned the DC leader.
Akol, who is also a public intellectual said it was equally saddening that even the major principals to the agreement were not taking cognizant of the dire state of the country.
“The sad side of it is that even the status quo is untenable as we have shown above. What then is to be done? Is South Sudan doomed? South Sudan needs a surgical operation to remove the cancerous growth in its body politics. That surgery needs to be done immediately before cancer spreads into the whole body. It is here that we can seek assistance from the international.
Akol said power-sharing agreements have signally failed to solve the country’s problems adding that “In fact, as some cynics opine, they have been serving as a promoter of violence as one agreement after another renews the mandates of the perpetrators of violence.”
The veteran politician implored that the only way to break the vicious circle of weak leadership in the country was through the repeal of the 2018 agreement.
“We are in a vicious circle that must be broken if South Sudan is to stand on its feet. This author is calling for a new agreement between the South Sudanese stakeholders to replace the current 2018 agreement,” he said.
“Let us forget about the high sounding but unattainable, at least currently, objectives of reform and change and concentrate on the single objective of conducting the elections. This means that attention should focus solely on the activities related to the elections. That will be the surest means to change the status quo,” he added.
Akol said: “The election process requires voters, level political space for all political parties, organizers of the process (the Commission), security of balloting and the ballot papers and means of seeking redress to complaints. Parties should agree on what it takes to set these requirements in place.”
Akol made the call after the Jieng Council of Elders, a controversial tribal made comprising prominent Dinka politicians said the 2018 peace agreement has lost meaning.
