Western Bahr el Ghazal State Governor Sarah Cleto apologized on Monday, following last week’s detention of the Wau county commissioner by SPLA-IO forces, saying such an incident could not have occurred if security arrangements were fulfilled.
Commissioner Jacinto Matia – a member of the SPLM party led by President Salva Kiir – was arrested on Friday last week at Bringi checkpoint while travelling to Ngo-Ku Boma to inaugurate a health facility. He was released by ceasefire monitors after spending 24 hours in an SPLA-IO base.
South Sudanese parties are implementing the 2018 revitalized peace agreement. But even now, critical aspects of the deal such as security arrangements, transitional justice, and institutional reforms are behind schedule.
“I am quite sure all of you have been following the accident that happened to the officials who were stopped on the way while going to Ngo-Ku in which the commissioner of Wau County was detained for more than 24 hours, but we thank God for his release safely. What happened was not right, and we don’t want anything that can cause insecurity again in Western Bahr el Ghazal,” Governor Saraha said while addressing the Muslim community at Mulid Square in Wau town.
“We, as the government, we condemn it in the strongest terms possible. I want to apologize to the ministers and Wau county commissioner for what happened to them. I am so sorry because even during the time of peace there are still some obstacles and we are not able to move freely within the state,” she added.
Sarah, a senior member of the SPLM/A-IO faction led by First Vice President Riek Machar, said parties to the peace agreement are facing obstacles because critical tasks of the peace agreement such as security arrangements have not been implemented.
The agreement calls for a 36- month transitional period to be followed directly by general elections but several of the document’s key provisions have yet to be carried out. South Sudanese officials have repeatedly stated that the transitional government lacks the funds needed to implement the agreement.
“I want to tell our people of Western Bahr el Ghazal that this government is yours, it is a government of national unity, so it doesn’t belong to the parties or individuals. For those who still don’t believe in the current peace, it’s our role to have a dialogue with them to let them know that this peace is real instead of pointing fingers to ourselves,” she said.
The senior state official appealed for better coordination and cooperation between the parties to the peace agreement. “I want to warn everyone not to take the law into his or her own hand to divide us, we are people of South Sudan and we are one people of Western Bahr el Ghazal,” she concluded.