COMMUNICATIONS OFFICE
PRESS RELEASE,
Juba, South Sudan.
13 June 2017(Nyamilepedia) —– The Joint Monitoring and Evaluation Commission (JMEC) has welcomed the Communiqué following the 31st Extra-ordinary Summit of Heads of States of the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), and the decision to convene a High-Level Revitalisation Forum of the Parties to the Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in the Republic Of South Sudan (ARCSS), including estranged groups, to discuss concrete measures to restore a permanent ceasefire and achieve full implementation.
Speaking in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa, during the Summit, the Chairperson of JMEC, H.E. Festus Mogae said:
“There is a very good working relationship between the President, H.E. Salva Kiir Mayardit, and the First Vice President, H.E. General Taban Deng Gai, but real progress is still lacking and the pace of the implementation of the Peace Agreement is too slow.
“It is regrettable that the progress and good efforts of the TGoNU continue to be overshadowed and in some cases reversed by the ongoing hostilities.
“As the main guarantors to the Peace Agreement, IGAD should act collectively and decisively, speak with one voice and demand that the leaders of South Sudan end the violence and pursue a political solution and return to full implementation of the Peace Agreement.”
Among the recommendations put forward by JMEC to IGAD were:
a. Convene a High Level Revitalisation Forum for the Parties to the Peace Agreement, including estranged groups, to discuss the restoration of the permanent ceasefire, a return to inclusive implementation, a revised realistic timeline and implementation schedule towards democratic elections at the end of the Transitional Period;
b. Prior to this High Level Forum, invite other key opposition groups to participate without pre-conditions;
c. Demand a clear and realistic timeline for the deployment of the Regional Protection Force (RPF) to provide a neutral and secure environment for the implementation of the Peace Agreement
The Extraordinary Summit on South Sudan was attended by regional of Heads of States, their representatives and international facilitators. The meeting underscored that the Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in South Sudan (ARCSS) remains the only “viable way forward” to bring peace and lay out the foundations for a democratic regime in the country.
ENDS
