The UN Special Representative of the Secretary-General to South Sudan, Nicholas Haysom, is expected to brief the UN Security Council with a report on the worrying slow pace of peace implementation in the country.
The UNMISS boss said that he was concerned about the slow pace of implementation of the pending chapters of the peace agreement.
Haysom said he plans to travel for a regular update at the UN Security Council headquarters next week and says it is important to remind the parties to reaffirm their commitment to settle the grey areas of the agreement.
“I will be updating the UN Security Council, I will raise this issue and the situation more generally in South Sudan.
“In that briefing, I will highlight the commendable progress made by the parties since the signing of the peace agreement but also note that the pace of implementation remains too slow.
“If this continues, there is a risk that the viability of the broader agreement will come under threat, which is a concern raised by analysts and commentators recently, “UNMISS Chief stated in his speech.
Much to be done
Mr Haysom was speaking during a press conference meant to provide an update on the situation in South Sudan yesterday in Juba.
He said UNMISS would continue to actively support the peace process by working alongside political actors and other stakeholders to support locally-driven solutions.
However, the UN Special Representative stressed that there is a need for parties to show the tangible accomplishment of the peace agreement to allow the international community and UNMISS to play an even greater role in providing support to the government and people of South Sudan.
“The parties must inject fresh urgency into the process and demonstrate a sustained, collective political will to finalise critical areas of the agreement.”
According to the UNMISS Chief, the government needs to implement the key tasks as a road map for free, fair, and creative elections in the country.
Mr Haysom added that “this includes transitional security arrangements, legislation promoting financial and judicial reform, and constitution-making so that elections can be held.”
He added that UNMISS was working to provide a sturdier early response to warnings of potential conflict, by installing additional temporary bases in areas of concern so that our peacekeepers could more easily provide protection and peacebuilding.
“It’s important to note that these bases are “temporary” and there should be no expectation that they will become permanent fixtures or somehow take over the responsibility of the government and its agencies to provide security and support.”
However, he said it is the primary responsibility of the government to protect its people and ensure that their needs are being met.
The UN boss described the flooding menace as dire, adding that the flood water is not receding and that hundreds of thousands of people remain displaced and in desperate need of assistance.
“I would like to start with the impact of the flooding, which is of great concern to us all. As you know, more than 800,000 people have been severely affected by the worst floods in 60 years, particularly in Jonglei, Unity, and Upper Nile. “
He said UNMISS is doing all it can to support communities, including our Pakistani engineers, who have built 70 kilometres of dykes to protect the town, airport, and displacement camp.
However, Mr Haysom said right now, the humanitarian partners report that they simply cannot bridge the gap in the available funding and resources to reach all those in need in Bentiu.
“The consequences could be disastrous in terms of food insecurity, lack of healthcare, education, and the risk of waterborne diseases.”
Pending chapters
President Salva Kiir has so far reconstituted the national legislature, some councils of states as well as state legislatures. The parliamentary committees are yet to be formed to ensure that the legislators can transact business, which also touches on the implementation of the peace agreement.
However, there are still outstanding chapters yet to be implemented. They include chapter five on security arrangements, which includes the graduation of the unified forces and their deployment. Also pending is the creation of the electoral commission, which will be tasked with setting boundaries and registering voters.
South Sudan is tentatively planning to hold an election in 2023. However, members of parliament, activists and the UNMISS boss have so far warned against a rushed election, saying it could plunge the country into chaos.