South Sudan’s rival parties on Friday agreed on a six-month extension to implement next steps in the fragile peace deal.
The extension came after the main opposition group threatened to boycott the formation of a unity government on May 12.
The agreement came after meetings in Ethiopia. The document signed by the parties will now be submitted to the IGAD Council of Ministers, and the extension period will commence on 12 May.
A number of critical tasks remain unresolved, including the formation of a unified army and the issue of internal boundaries and states.
"The Parties identified lack of political will, financing and time constraints as the major challenges that have delayed implementation of the Pre-Transitional tasks," IGAD said in a statement.
During the meeting, South Sudan’s government pledged to provide $100 million to expedite the implementation of the peace agreement.
On its part, the UN mission in South Sudan said the decision to extend the pre-transitional period of the South Sudan peace agreement leading to the formation of a new government is a sign of goodwill between the parties to end the suffering of their people.
David Shearer, the Head of the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS), said the six-month extension gives the parties more time to achieve the benchmarks agreed upon and make peace a reality.
Meanwhile, Augostino Njoroge, the Interim Chairperson of the Reconstituted Joint Monitoring and Evaluation Commission (RJMEC), said, “The determination of the Parties to continue to work in a spirit of cooperation and consensus was clear, and accordingly the extension was agreed unanimously through compromise. All Parties regard the peace process as the best chance for stability and for ending the suffering of the people of South Sudan.”
He continued: “This is welcome news as it allows the Parties to accelerate the implementation of the pending tasks.”
The RJMEC Interim Chairperson concluded: “The lasting impression from this meeting is that the spirit of cooperation and consensus among the Parties endures. Now it is time to make sure that the pace and effectiveness of implementation is maintained.”
Although the peace accord signed last year has reduced the fighting, a UN panel of experts said in a recent report that the youngest nation still faces significant challenges.