A leading civil society group in South Sudan wants the UN General Assembly meetings on South Sudan to adopt an action-oriented resolution that prioritizes issues pertaining to the peace process and humanitarian crisis.
The appeal comes ahead of meetings to be organized by the East African bloc IGAD and the African Union (AU) on Thursday during the UN General Assembly in New York. The meetings are expected to focus on various issues covering the current humanitarian situation and the peace process in South Sudan.
Edmund Yakani, Executive Director of the Community Empowerment for Progress (CEPO), said in a statement extended to Radio Tamazuj today that the UN General Assembly meetings should adopt an action-orientated decision instead of making press statements.
“Our expectations towards the meeting outcomes are centered on the following; speedy facilitation of the IGAD-led revitalization forum with specific elements of evaluating the past period of the peace agreement implementation and ratify the gaps identified by the evaluation process,” he said.
Yakani further said the revitalization process should be owned by the people of South Sudan, pointing out that imported solutions always lack ownership and acceptance.
“With regards to the National Dialogue, the meeting should stress for it to be inclusive without pre-conditions by any South Sudanese party or stakeholders. The National Dialogue should be made as a real homegrown process seeking lasting peace and stability in South Sudan,” said Yakani.
CEPO emphasized the need to allow unhindered humanitarian access in the country, saying the practice of restricting aid workers by gunmen should be discussed during the meetings.