A South Sudanese civil society activist has urged the transitional government to discuss critical security issues and implementation of the 2018 revitalized peace agreement before year-end.
On 4 August 2022, the parties to the peace agreement signed on to a further two-year extension of the transitional unity government, postponing general elections until late 2024.
Speaking to Radio Tamazuj on Thursday, Edmund Yakani, Executive Director of the Community Empowerment for Progress Organization (CEPO) said the final cabinet meeting expected to be held in Juba today should make critical decisions on the implementation of the peace agreement in line with the adopted roadmap.
Yakani said the cabinet should also discuss the Rome peace process with the holdout opposition group. “Pope is visiting the country from the 3rd to 5th of February and at the same time this council of ministers is faced with escalating deadly communal violence across the country with the latest attack which was launched by the White Army against the population of Gumuruk and what we have seen in Upper Nile before and in Mangala,” Yakani said.
“We would like to urge the council of ministers that they should reach concrete decisions that are more practical to these issues that we have raised. But we hope that the council of ministers will bring for us a concrete decision around the quest on the call that people had been asking that 2023 is a year where we are going for constitutional making process, political parties registration and transitional justice,” he added.
Yakani emphasized that they want to see an open civic and political space across the country. He also urged President Kiir to sign into law some of the Bills passed by the national legislative assembly.
“We hope that His Excellency the President will embrace the culture of giving the citizens the gift of the New Year by signing the pending bills in front of his table and conventions into law,” he said.
“We hope that the council of ministers under the leadership of His Excellency the President will pardon some South Sudanese who have been imprisoned for a long time due to minor cases, so they should be released so that they join us in the year 2023 and work together for the processes that we aspire to have,” he concluded.