The Reconstituted Joint Monitoring and Evaluation Commission (R-JMEC) says parties to the revitalized agreement have done very little in the peace implementation in the country.
According to the comprehensive report that covers January to March 2021, the commission says though the government managed to establish the national and states leadership, there were still outstanding tasks which require expedition.
“Very little progress was observed during the quarter as it relates to the implementation of key outstanding tasks,” the report indicates.
The report pointed out some of the key areas that have not been implemented include the reconstitution of the Transitional National Legislative Assembly (TNLA) and the training and redeployment of the Necessary Unified Forces.
Similarly, the outstanding tasks relating to humanitarian affairs, economic reforms and transitional justice remained largely untouched by the Revitalized Transitional Government of National Unity.
Another phenomenon hampering peace progress in the country is the continuous inter-communal violence that has threatened the fragile security environment and which has the potential to derail any possible progress made so far.
The RJMEC report recommends that, “the RTGONU redouble its efforts at implementation in order to make further gains towards sustainable peace.”
Little done
According to the findings of report, it shows that during the period, the parties to the agreement were able to address issues of governance while also stressing the stalled implementation of the permanent ceasefire and transitional security arrangements.
However, it argues that much still remains to be done by the R-TGoNU as there are only two years left for the parties in the Transitional Period.
In regards to gender equality, it revealed that SPLM/A-IO party among the peace parties to agreement respected the 35% affirmative action for women’s representation which was not observed strictly by other parties as stipulated in the Revitalized Agreement on Resolution of the Conflict in South Sudan.
According to R-ACRSS, parties to agreement were expected to appoint not fewer than 6 women into executive level. The peace monitoring body says as the ceasefire continues to hold, the crimes committed during the period include murder, rape, assault and theft.
With no necessary unified forces formed, the RJMEC finding entails that cantonment sites face lack of food, medicine, clean water, shelter and essential hygiene items for female trainees.
In early March, the Minister of Defense and Veteran Affairs Angelina Teny confessed that hundreds of forces had already deserted the cantonment sites citing poor living conditions. Last year over 50 trainees succumbed to treatable diseases at various cantonment sites across the country.
The report showed that the level of Humanitarian situation in South Sudan continues to rise as results of multiple shocks such as violence, covid-19 challenges and economic hardship.
RJMEC recommends that the Unity Government should redouble the effort to implement the agreement in letter and in spirit.
“It is important the R-TGoNU focuses its efforts to increase the pace of implementation of R-ACRSS especially considering that there is less than two years remaining before the end of Transitional Period as envisaged in the Agreement,” the Commission highlights.