Dr. Martin Elia Lomoro, the Minister of Cabinet Affairs - PPU 17th Jan. 2024

The Council of Ministers resolved on Friday to maintain the provisions of the 2018 Revitalized Peace Agreement, limiting amendments to three articles.

Speaking after the meeting, Cabinet Affairs Minister Dr. Elia Lomuro said the government agreed to maintain Articles 8.1, 8.2, and 8.3 of the agreement, including the clause on the supremacy of the text.

“We confirmed amendments that were submitted for the amendment and article 6.14. We decided to maintain articles 8.1 on the supremacy of the agreement, 8.2 and 8.3 so that the amendment is only restricted to the three articles 1.25, 1.14 and 6.14,” Lomuro said.

The cabinet’s decision follows repeated warnings from western embassies and opposition groups against altering the peace agreement without broad consultation among the signatories.

Early this week, western diplomats in Juba cautioned that unilateral amendments could undermine the implementation of the peace deal and threaten the country’s transition toward elections.

The government had earlier proposed amendments linked to the conduct of elections and the implementation timeline of the transitional arrangements, drawing criticism from opposition officials and civil society groups.

South Sudan’s transitional government has repeatedly pledged to hold elections in 2026 under the framework of the 2018 peace agreement, which ended years of civil conflict between forces loyal to President Salva Kiir and First Vice President Riek Machar.