Dr. Riek Machar, First Vice President and Leader of SPLM/A-IO - Courtesy

First Vice President Dr Riek Machar has agreed to the R-JMEC proposal for peace parties to dialogue and reach a consensus on the possibility of holding elections as scheduled in December 2024.

Machar was responding to the Revitalized Joint Monitoring and Evaluation Commission’s 15th March letter to him about the critical issues affecting the implementation of the peace deal.

“Your excellency, I have taken note and concern of the short time left in the timeline of the roadmap as highlighted,” Machar said in his response to R-JMEC chairperson Charles Tai Gituai.

The SPLM-IO leader also raised the issue of critical pending tasks in the agreement and “lack of progress in the preparation for free, fair and credible elections” to ensure a peaceful and democratic end of the transitional government.

“I would like to welcome and express our support for the proposal that the peace parties dialogue on these issues in order to chart a way forward for a peaceful election and transition to democracy.”

Citing the challenges that the peace parties encountered in implementing the agreement, the first vice president suggested the presence of the 2018 peace mediators and observers to pave the way for a credible outcome of the dialogue.

Dr Machar also called for political will among the peace parties to resolve the critical issues “that have been affecting the implementation of the agreement.”

R-JMEC Chairperson, Charles Tai Gituai wrote to FVP Machar on March 15 – seeking his party’s position on the issue of critical pending tasks necessary for South Sudan to hold credible elections.

Gituai raised several issues including the pending enactment of the Revised National Security Service Act (Amendment Bill 2023), the completion of the security arrangement, the judicial reform process, and the permanent constitution.

Others are the establishment of the Commission for Truth and Reconciliation Commission, and the Compensation and Reparation Authority, and the Special Reconstruction Fund.

The peace monitoring body assessed that the country is far behind schedule in conducting pre-election activities, publication of voter registry six months before the elections, full repatriation and resettlement of refugees and IDPs, and the registration of political parties.

With the above, R-JMEC suggested dialogue among the peace parties to find common ground on viable options that conform to the agreement.