The Episcopal Church of South Sudan is calling on parties to the revitalized peace agreement to suspend the formation of a unity government until they reach consensus over outstanding issues.
Archbishop and Primate Justin Badi Arama told Radio Tamazuj on Monday that the church demands an inclusive government of national unity, with all parties represented.
According to the agreement whose implementation faces many hurdles, the parties have until November 12 to form a unity government. However, the armed opposition SPLM/A-IO and the National Democratic Movement say they will not be part of the transitional government until outstanding issues are resolved.
Security arrangements as envisioned in the agreement are yet to be implemented as well as a determination of the number of states and their boundaries.
"There is an idea that if there are outstanding issues that have not been resolved, they must agree and suspend the formation of the government. After the issues are resolved, then they go-ahead to form a government that will bring peace to the country," Archbishop Arama said.
He pointed out that the opposing views on the formation of a unity government are already causing tension and could take the country back to war. He called on the parties to engage in constructive dialogue over the contentious issues for the sake of the country.
“This is already a sign of conflict, we don’t want conflict. We want the IO and others to unite through continuous dialogue to reach a consensus for peace. Because if one side says they will, and the other says they will not, it means we the citizens will suffer. This is not what we want,” he added.
The religious leader urged the parties to bear in mind the suffering of people which squarely rests on them.
With less than two weeks to the deadline, there is mounting pressure on the parties to form the unity government as scheduled.