South Sudan’s parliament on Tuesday abruptly dropped a scheduled debate on controversial amendments to the 2018 peace deal, citing “technical reasons,” lawmakers said.
The cabinet on April 17 approved the proposed changes, aimed at paving the way for elections by December 2026, and forwarded the bill to parliament for ratification, bypassing the peace monitoring body, the Reconstituted Joint Monitoring and Evaluation Commission (RJMEC).
The Transitional National Legislative Assembly (TNLA) and the Council of States had planned a joint sitting to deliberate the amendments, which have exposed divisions between the government and RJMEC.
The transitional government, dominated by President Salva Kiir’s SPLM party, says the amendments can proceed after approval by the cabinet and the presidency under Article 8.4 of the 2018 revitalised peace agreement. RJMEC, however, says the process did not meet the requirements of that provision because some signatory parties were not involved.
The opposition SPLM-IO, led by suspended First Vice President Riek Machar, said it was excluded from the process. Machar, a key party to the 2018 agreement, is currently detained and facing treason charges in a special court in the capital, Juba.
Under Article 8.4 of the Revitalised Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in South Sudan (R-ARCSS), amendments must be approved by at least two-thirds of the Council of Ministers of the transitional government and two-thirds of RJMEC members before ratification by parliament.
RJMEC comprises representatives of the parties to the 2018 peace agreement, civil society, regional guarantors and international partners.
TNLA spokesperson Oliver Mori Benjamin confirmed that the debate on the proposed amendments had been removed from Tuesday’s agenda.
“Yes, the amendment of the peace agreement was not on the agenda today for technical reasons,” Mori told Radio Tamazuj, declining to provide further details.
Lawmaker Mangok Gum said the amendments had already been cleared by the House Business Committee, but acknowledged that technical issues remained. He said the bill is expected to be debated once the technical issues are resolved.
Parliament instead discussed the status of Rumbek Senior Secondary School, which has drawn public attention after being transferred to Rumbek University of Science and Technology, he said.
It was not immediately clear why lawmakers revisited the issue, which had already been addressed by President Kiir.
A third lawmaker, speaking on condition of anonymity, said discussion of the proposed amendments appeared to have been halted by the president due to mounting pressure on the government and ongoing discussions.
Proposals to remove provisions such as Articles 8.2 and 8.3, which establish the supremacy of the peace agreement over national laws and the transitional constitution in case of conflict, have also raised concern, the lawmaker added.
He did not say whether the debate on the proposed changes had been dropped permanently or would resume.
Civil society activist Edmund Yakani welcomed the removal of the item from Tuesday’s agenda and called for the process to restart through RJMEC.
“The best step is to start the amendment from RJMEC, then move it to parliament and finally be signed by the president,” he said.
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