Western embassies - courtesy image

A group of embassies including Canada, France, Germany, Japan, the Netherlands, Norway, the United Kingdom, and the United States of America, along with the Delegation of the European Union, have said that any changes to South Sudan’s 2018 peace agreement must follow the procedures set out in the deal.

In a joint statement on Friday in Juba, the missions reaffirmed their commitment to supporting South Sudan’s path to sustainable peace and stressed that the 2018 peace agreement remains the only basis for the legitimacy of the transitional government.

The statement read in part:“We remain committed to supporting South Sudan’s path to sustainable peace. The 2018 peace agreement remains the only basis for legitimacy of the South Sudanese transitional government.

Any changes to that agreement must be in line with the procedures set out in the 2018 peace agreement. We agree with the RJMEC statement of April 20 on this being a necessity.”

The diplomatic missions also questioned the inclusiveness of recent political consultations. “It is illogical to suggest that there have been inclusive consultations without the participation of Riek Machar, the head of the second largest party in the country.”

The statement comes amid ongoing political discussions on the implementation of the Revitalised Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in South Sudan (R-ARCSS), which continues to guide the country’s transitional arrangements.