August 24th 2019 (Nyamilepedia) – A high-level delegation of the UN Commission on Human Rights which visited South Sudan this week has expressed grave concern about the little progress made in the implementation of the revitalized peace agreement urging the parties to expedite the implementation of the revitalized peace agreement.
Speaking at a press conference after a brief meeting with UN representatives, heads of international NGOs, community leaders, civil society groups, and IDPs representatives, the UN Human Rights Chair, Yasmine Sooka, expressed dismay at the slow pace of implementation and urged the Parties to abide by the provisions of the R-ARCSS.
“We are deeply concerned that, despite overall armed conflict having waned considerably since the signing of the Revitalized Peace Agreement, little progress has been made to adhere to the terms of the agreement,” Sooka said.
The Commissioner for Human Rights noted that the civilian population with whom they spoke insisted that there are obstacles lying ahead before lasting peace is achieved.
“Civilians with whom we spoke still raised numerous concerns that they feel are barriers to sustainable peace,” she said.
For his part, the UN Commissioner for Human Rights, Andrew Clapham, said they were inspired by the fact that the parties had set up civilian and military committees capable of fostering confidence-building between the military and the civilian population.
“Despite the numerous challenges we heard, we were encouraged by the fact that committees composed of military and civil actors have been formed to improve civil-military relations and support local justice and reconciliation in Yei River State, where civilians could raise dispute resolutions,” said Clapham.
The UN Commission on Human Rights in South Sudan is an oversight body mandated by the UN Human Rights Council to investigate and report alleged human rights violations in the country.
