South Sudan’s President Salva Kiir Mayardit, with a black hat on his head, walking around with his political rival, Riek Machar Teny, and his right-hand aide right behind him, James Wani Igga, among other senior officials. |File photo|.
Monday, 28 April 2025
South Sudan’s peace monitoring body, dubbed the Reconstituted Joint Monitoring and Evaluation Commission (RJMEC), has on Monday, 28 April, released its quarterly report on the status of implementation of the Revitalised Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in the Republic of South Sudan (R-ARCSS).
In the report covering the 1st quarter of the year (January – March 2025) and prepared under Article 7.9 of the R-ARCSS, the commission observed “repeated violations” of the Revitalised Agreement, saying, “During the quarter, implementation of the Agreement ground to a halt, as the Parties engaged in repeated violations of the R-ARCSS and the political and security environment markedly worsened.”
The report continues, “In scenes not seen since the signing of the peace agreement over six years ago, armed conflict and violence erupted across the country, several high-ranking opposition members and parliamentarians were detained and imprisoned, and the First Vice President Riek Machar Teny was put under house arrest.”
“In addition, ministerial positions at the state and national levels and those within the presidency were reshuffled, and portfolios within some Agreement institutions and mechanisms were abandoned,” the report added.
“In some parts of the country, civilians, including women and children, have borne the brunt of the fallout and have suffered serious human rights and humanitarian law violations, including death, injury, and displacement due to military operations and connected armed clashes.”
However, the commission reiterates that the peace agreement remains the most viable framework to steer South Sudan towards the path of stability and prosperity, adding that the current political and security situation is fragile and highly volatile, posing a serious threat to the survivability of the accord due to several factors, including several weeks of armed violent clashes between forces of the SSPDF and SPLM/A-IO.
These clashes are now spreading to several areas across the country, including reported attacks on some cantonment sites and training centres such as Luri, Rajaf, and Panyume, among others.
“It is worth noting that in this two-year extension of the Agreement, there are less than 20 months left to elections in December 2026.”
In its conclusion, the Commission would like to underscore that “the heightening of political and security tensions in South Sudan does not bode well for the sustaining of durable peace.”
Furthermore, the Commission notes, “Every effort must be made by the Parties to the Agreement to adhere strictly to the peace deal and recommit to the cause of peace.
While the trust among the parties has been seriously dented, there remains some room for re-engagement and dialogue.”
“It is important that Parties resort back to strict adherence to the CoHA (Cessation of Hostilities Agreement), and the cardinal principles stipulated in Chapter II of the revitalised peace deal as well as undertake an immediate cessation of hostilities on all fronts”.
Also, “efforts must be stepped up to complete the unification of forces, unconditional release of those detained, and move forward with the Constitution-making process.”
