Economic crisis is the reason why the “peace agreement” is blocked

Implementation of the South Sudan peace agreement is behind schedule, with one party blaming the country’s economic crisis for failure to adhere to the timetable of the adopted roadmap.

A senior government official blamed the economic crisis for the failure to deliver on key tasks in the implementation process, including security arrangements, the constitution-making process, institutional reforms and electoral preparations.

Speaking to journalists after concluding a review of the implementation of the 2018 peace agreement and road map in Juba on Tuesday, the President’s National Security Adviser Tut Gatluak Manyime said the implementation of the agreement faced challenges due to the economic collapse, which was exacerbated by the conflict in Sudan.

Sudan’s civil war has severely disrupted oil exports, causing the South Sudanese government to lose its main source of income, petrodollars.

South Sudan’s oil pipeline to international markets passes through neighboring Sudan and was damaged in February this year due to fighting between Sudan’s warring parties.

Gatluak, who is also the chair of the High-Level Committee for the Implementation of the 2018 peace agreement, said: “Although South Sudan has been going through an economic crisis, the implementation of the agreement will require a lot of funds.”

He added: “Since the implementation of the peace agreement, no external assistance has been received except for military uniforms and training camps conducted by the South Sudanese government.”

Meanwhile, Petroleum Minister and committee member Puot Kang Chuol said they have completed Review of implementation of peace agreements and roadmap, and will submit a report to the presidency on Wednesday to make a decision on the election.

“We have divided it into three categories: completed, ongoing or in progress, and pending. The document is now ready to be submitted to the principals to give us a direction to move forward,” Chol said.

He explained that they also incorporated the positions of the parties to the agreement in their recommendations.

“We also looked at the positions proposed by the parties to the agreement and put them into a document to bring it to the attention of the leadership to give us a way forward,” Chul said.

“In fact, our work for today is done and it is now up to the leadership to call a meeting. The document will be circulated to the principals so that they can make the final decision,” he explained.

Peace has officially returned to South Sudan since a 2018 agreement ended a five-year conflict that killed hundreds of thousands of people.

electronicLast year’s coursesIt has been postponed until December next year, but not enough preparations have been made.

The feasibility of holding elections in December 2024 – the country’s first since independence in July 2011 – is increasingly in doubt.

The original transition period agreed in the 2018 peace agreement ended on February 22, 2023, while the extended transition period is expected to end on February 22, 2025.

Several reliable sources told Radio Tamazuei that the parties to the revitalized peace agreement are planning to announce another extension of the transition period.