By Moses John
The peace partners to the Revitalised Agreement on Resolution of Conflict in the Republic of South Sudan reached a deal on April 2, to unify security command structures.
The deal, brokered by neighbouring Sudan, was an important milestone that allowed for the integration of armed opposition commanders from the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement/ Army In Opposition (SPLM/ AIO) and South Sudan Opposition Alliance into the South Sudan People’s Defence Force (SSPDF) under one command structure with President Salva Kiir being the commander-in-chief, deputised by Dr Riek Machar.
According to the deal, the opposition commanders will be integrated into the armed forces within a week. This will be followed by the graduation and deployment of unified forces to be implemented within a period not exceeding two months. On March 24, the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement/Army In Opposition, led by Machar, withdrew from the security arrangement mechanisms.
The withdrawal was in protest to the accusation they made against SSPDF forces under the leadership of Kiir for attacking their forces in the Upper Nile region.
This created tensions and fear or renewed clashes in Juba. Fortunately, peace partners and the guarantors engaged in a dialogue, which resulted in the signing of the agreement.
While the agreement on unification of security command structures, graduation and deployment of unified forces are significant steps towards the political, security and economic stability in the country, the timely implementation of the security deal, trust deficit between the political leaders and the political will to fully implement the agreement could still be a challenge.
For instance, prior to the recent signing of the security deal, the president ordered the release of a declassified report entitled “pushing the reset button for South Sudan” that implicated senior opposition leaders who serve in his government.
The report claims that the 2013 and 2016 conflicts were triggered by an attempted coup led by Machar, contrary to the findings of the AU Commission of Inquiry report, which found no evidence for this narrative.
On April 6, the president launched consultations for the Commission for Truth, Reconciliation and Healing, which was long overdue. The AU, in collaboration with the government of South Sudan, should also expedite the long-awaited process of initiating legislation to establish and operationalise the Hybrid Court for South Sudan as required by chapter five of the Revitalised Agreement on Resolution of Conflict in the Republic of South Sudan.
Despite the delays in the implementation of the agreement, the peace deal remains a window of opportunity to transform the governance system, security architects, economic and financial management institutions to deliver the needed social and development services to the impoverished people of South Sudan.
This is because, in the context of South Sudan, it is not only the war and use of guns that kill people, but the lack of basic social services such as quality health, education, water and sanitation, as well as difficult civic and political spaces, are as devastating as weapons.
The people of South Sudan have been held hostage without enjoying peace dividends for too long. The parties to the agreement, civil society, guarantors, the Intergovernmental Authority on Development, AU and the international community should therefore take serious steps to ensure effective implementation of the peace agreement, prevent and mitigate the risks of renewed fighting between the parties and armed holdout groups.
Fortunately, the civil society, guarantors, Troika countries (US, UK and Norway), and the international community have played key roles from the start of the peace process in 2014 to the signing of R-ARCSS on September 12, 2018.
For example, the Voluntary Civil Society Taskforce for the Implementation of the Peace Agreement (the Taskforce), in a bid to defuse the recent political and security tensions, issued a press statement urging parties to seize hostilities immediately, adhere to ceasefire agreements and engage in dialogue to resolve the stalemate over the unification of command structures, graduate and redeploy unified forces.
Similar statements were also issued by peace partners. South Sudan attained its independence from Sudan on July 9, 2011, following a referendum held in January of the same year after more than 50 years of struggle for emancipation and freedom from social, economic and political domination by Sudan.
However, in December 2013, leadership wrangling and tensions within the ruling Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM) led to the outbreak of armed conflict between the SPLM in government and the opposition movement that became known as the SPLM-IO.
The conflict continued in July 2016 despite the signed peace deal in August 2015, which later collapsed. The violent conflict has created one of the worst humanitarian crises in modern times. Many lives and properties were lost.
Armed violence is characterised by defections and re-defections where political and security actors change loyalties from one party to another to grab political and economic opportunities provided by peace deals. In September 2018, a revitalised peace deal was signed between the rival parties.
However, its implementation is faced with many challenges, including limited political will, funding and ongoing deadly communal clashes. By now, the agreement life span is only left with 10 months to holding the general elections in February 2023, but most of the provisions remained unimplemented.
It is important for the unity government and the national parliament to expedite the approval of the permanent constitution-making bills, amend security laws, elections and political party acts, reconstitute specialised commissions, including the Judicial Service Commission, in line with the Revitalised Agreement on Resolution of Conflict in the Republic of South Sudan to pave the way for holding of free, fair and credible elections in South Sudan.
* A peace activist and co-founder of Organization for Nonviolence and Development based in Juba, South Sudan, holds a PhD in Management Sciences Specialising in Public Administration-Peace Studies from Durban University of Technology.