Juba, South Sudan,
May 16, 2021 — After listening to South Sudan government rhetoric for failing to implement the security arrangement, visiting U.S. official, Ambassador Donald Booth and TROIKA counterparts, slashed back on South Sudanese government desire for more weapons and freedom to buy them at will.
The South Sudanese president, who has been in power for almost 10 years without holding elections, was meeting Special Envoys of the United Kingdom, Amb. Robert Fareweather, United States Special Envoy to Sudan and South Sudan, Amb. Donald Booth and Norway Special Envoy to Sudan and South Sudan, Amb. Endre Stainsen, among others.
Responding to the argument that the war-torn nation cannot graduate unified forces due to lack of weapons, the TROIKA officials, who were accompanied by Ambassadors of the United Kingdom, United States of America, Norway, France, Canada, Germany and European Union, disagreed saying that more weapons and arming of more people will only create more displaced people and more economic hardships.
“South Sudan right now – from our perspective – does not need more weapons coming in and arming more people; to create more displaced people, more economic hardships,” U.S. Special Envoy to Sudan and South Sudan, Amb. Donald Booth, said.
According to the diplomats, the revitalized government can still graduate forces without weapons if there is political will to do so.
The long-term friends of South Sudan are worried that the peace agreement is not being implemented in letter and spirit, and encourage the parties to do so for the South Sudanese people to begin enjoying dividends of peace and political stability.
“We need to focus on the constructive implementation of the peace agreement and the rebuilding of the country. And to try and find a way that we as long-time friends of South Sudan can best help South Sudan move forward for the welfare and benefit of the South Sudanese people,” the U.S special envoy concluded.
In a different report, the vice presidents Dr. James Wani Igga and Hon. Rebecca Nyandeang acknowledged the need for the country to resolve its internal security problems.
“There is plenty of room for legitimate needs for a sovereign government to deal with its internal security problems,” Amb. Booth said in Juba on Wednesday after meeting with Vice Presidents Dr. James Wani Igga and Rebecca Nyandeng.
For nearly three years, soldiers from main warring parties have remained in their cantonments with no hope for training or graduation for those who have been lucky enough to receive training.
According to president Salva Kiir this is all due to arm embargo and lack of weapons.
While meeting the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Russian Federation and Presidential Special Envoy for the Middle East and Africa Hon. Mikhail Bogdanov on Friday, President Kiir sent the Russian Envoy to advise president Putin on how lack of weapons and arms embargo is impeding peace implementation.
“President Salva Kiir urged for President Putin’s support to help South Sudan in addressing some of these challenges that are hindering the implementation of the Revitalized Peace Agreement.” Said the office of the president.
“The President also appealed to the Russian Federation to help in clarifying this point to other stakeholders within the international community that, with the chapter 1 of the Agreement completed, the focus now turns to chapter 2 , which deals with security arrangements, and the ability to expedite this process is affected by the arm embargo imposed on us by the United Nations Security Council.” Presidential Press Release on Friday, May 14, 2021 explained.
According to president Salva Kiir, the forces are trained at the moment but cannot be graduated when arms embargo is still in place.
“This has made it difficult for the Government to purchase necessary equipment for the graduation of the unified forces.” President Kiir said.
