The Community Empowerment for Progress Organization (CEPO) said the slow implementation of the security arrangements poses a threat to the fate of the Revitalised Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in South Sudan (R-ARCSS).
According to the September 2018 peace deal, government and opposition forces were supposed to canton and train unified forces during a 3-year transitional period leading into elections. Observers have warned that the process is lagging.
In a press release seen by Radio Tamazuj, CEPO said the status of the implementation of the security arrangements, according to a survey conducted by the organization, is behind schedule and not encouraging.
“Without proper implementation of security arrangements, the fate of successful political transitioning from violence to peace in South Sudan is hard to guarantee. The chances of soldiers becoming disappointed and turning to cause insecurity in various forms across the country is higher,” said Edmund Yakani, CEPO’s Executive Director. “The heart of the Revitalized Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in South Sudan is 70% based on successful security arrangements implementation. Any political action delivered can easily be undermined by any improper security arrangement.”
Yakani said the long delays in the formation of unified forces caused by delays in training and graduating of cantoned forces is losing meaning as, “The principal actions for laying down the proper foundation for security arrangement are slowly being forgotten and undermined by the parties to the peace arrangement.”
CEPO urged the IGAD leaders and the African Union to hold rapid discussions on the status of implementing security arrangements as stipulated in the peace agreement and pressure the parties to embark on genuine implementation.