President Salva Kiir and First Vice President Dr. Riek Machar. (Photo: Courtesy).

Troika diplomats in South Sudan have called on the transitional government to take urgent steps to implement critical provisions in the 2018 peace deal, warning “there no time to waste”, as a new transitional period is expected on Sunday.

The envoys of U.S., UK, and Norway pointed to lack of significant or consequential progress by 2018 peace parties in implementing their peace commitments, in a joint statement at the 39th plenary meeting of peace monitoring body.

They said the announcement of another extension in September 2024 was a disappointment. However, the envoys added it was not a surprise after years of repeated lack of breakthrough on steps pledged in the roadmap drafted in 2022.

The joint statement said it regrets that the meetings of Revitalized Joint Monitoring and Evaluation Commission (R-JMEC) have only served to highlight persistent lack of progress in the South Sudan peace implementation.

“We appeal to all parties to the agreement to take urgent steps now to implement their commitments. There is no more time to waste,” said the joint statement, read out by U.S. ambassador Michael J. Adler.

The diplomats said the peace parties must end the ongoing violent clashes in some parts of the country before such incidents escalate into broader national conflict.

“But the clashes are just a symptom of the core problem. The fundamental problem continues to be the willful refusal to meet peace commitments and to use public revenue transparently and for public benefit.”

Troika underscored that five months since the transitional government agreed to extend the transitional period, it has not taken any of the steps necessary to create the conditions for peaceful and credible elections.

The diplomatic missions emphasized on amending a clause in the National Security Service law which mandates the agency to arrest people without warrant, and creating civic and political space needed to give the South Sudanese people freedom of expression on their country’s future.

Further, Troika appealed to the government “in the strongest terms possible” to use public money to pay civil servants on regular basis, ensure access to basic health and education services, and to fund the peace implementation.

“It is important to note that the transitional government’s failure to use public revenue appropriately and transparently predates the conflict in Sudan and the disruption of the oil pipeline,” it noted.

According to the diplomats, despite the economic challenges facing the country, the transitional government still has the financial resources to pay salaries and provide other essential public services, if the political will exists.

Transparency International has just ranked South Sudan as the most corrupt country in the world, having scored the lowest index among 180 countries to beat Somalia to the disreputable position.

The 2024 Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) released on February 11, indicates that public sector corruption is a dangerous problem in every part of the world, but added that change for the better is happening in many countries.