Kiir says ‘doing utmost best’ to implement peace
The Revitalized Transitional Government of National Unity (RTGoNU) is making strides in implementing the peace deal despite reeling sanctions and arms embargo, President Salva Kiir told an African Union diplomat.
Kiir lamented that the arms embargo on South Sudan was a major setback for the peace process and development.
The President urged the African Union to defend African countries from individual sanctions and arms embargo, stressing that they might frustrate the development and the peace process in the country.
He said he has been trying his best to ensure that the Revitalised Peace Agreement is implemented, but sanctions imposed by the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) were a great setback that needed a swift reversal.
This came after he met with the visiting delegation of the African Union Peace and Security Council in Juba. The delegation was led by the Permanent Representative of Kenya to the African Union (AU), Ambassador Jean Njeri Kamau.
“President Salva Kiir told the AU delegation that he is doing his utmost best to implement the Revitalised Peace Agreement. However, the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) continues to impose numerous sanctions on individuals and entities which may frustrate the implementation of the Revitalised Peace Agreement and the developmental projects in the Country,” the statement from the office of the President read in part.
“[President] urged the African Union to stand firm and take the lead in defending African countries from unnecessarily sanctioning by the United Nations Security Council (UNSC).”
Kiir added that the unified forces were ready for graduation, but said the promotion of all soldiers to be officers by the opposition forces was a challenge in the formation of the command structure because such officers lacked soldiers to command.
Promise for peace
The Minister for Presidential Affairs, Dr Barnaba Marial Benjamin, said the president was not willing to take the country back to war and must strive for elections to take place at the end of the transitional period for the country to decide its destiny.
Dr Marial said the president had received an invitation letter from the president of the Republic of Uganda, Yoweri Kaguta Museveni, for the retreat in Kampala.
“Dr Barnaba Marial Benjamin highlighted that President Salva Kiir Mayardit has repeatedly said, that he will never take the country back to war and that is why he has been persuading the opposition groups that elections must be held for the people of South Sudan to have the authority to decide and elect the leaders of their choice at the end of the transitional period,” the statement read in part.
“Dr Barnaba Marial Benjamin added that they have just received the invitation from President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni for H.E. President Salva Kiir Mayardit to attend the retreat in Kampala, and hopes that most of the contentious issues hindering the implementation of the Revitalised Peace Agreement will be addressed during this retreat.”
The Minister for Cabinet Affairs, Dr Martin Elia Lomuro, said some parties to the agreement were hindering the unification of command by using a term called “political will” which he said was being applied out of context.
The Minister for Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Mayiik Ayii Deng, said the international community had not been funding the implementation of the peace agreement since its inception.
Mayiik stated that the country was struggling on its own to raise funds for the implementation of the peace agreement.
The AU delegation asked the president to highlight measures that needed to be taken by AU for a successful transition for peace and stability to be realised in the country. Ambassador Jean Njeri Kamau expressed satisfaction with South Sudanese leaders’ political will and pledged the AU’s commitment to achieving viable peace and stability.
Call to lift sanctions
In the 35th African Union Summit held in Addis Ababa, the African Union called for the removal of sanctions and an arms embargo imposed on South Sudan and individual South Sudanese.
The African Union appealed to the United Nations member states, including the United States, to remove “counterproductive” sanctions used as pressure to change political and economic impasses.
“The African Union call upon the United States of America to lift all unilateral coercive measures imposed on the government, its leadership and People of South Sudan which are counterproductive to efforts promoting post-conflict reconstruction and peacebuilding, and that due consideration is made by the United Nations to lift the Arms Embargo imposed on that country,” read the statement from the African Union.
In May 2021, the UN Security Council imposed an arms embargo on South Sudan due to claims of human rights violations, as well as firearms propagation.
