The government has never lost focus on the implementation of the revitalized peace agreement despite engagement in Sudan crisis, the acting minster of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation has said.
Addressing the diplomatic corps on Friday, Deng Dau said the undertaking of the milestones in the roadmap are in place as the parties strive to meet the deadline.
“While engaged in the Sudan issue, South Sudan has not lost focus on its own problems, notably the implementation of R-ARCSS. Despite the challenges, we will continue to meet the requisite milestones,” he stressed.
After the fighting broke out in Khartoum on April 16 between the Sudan army and the Rapid Support Forces, the IGAD heads of state the following day delegated President Salva Kiir to lead the IGAD team for Sudan peace process along with Kenyan President William Ruto and the President of Djibouti, Ismail Omar.
The fighting erupted when Kiir and his rival deputy, Dr. Riek, were in deadlock over what the opposition party -SPLM-IO led by Dr. Riek himself described as continuous violation of the peace agreement.
Before President Kiir got engaged in Sudan matters, he and his first vice president, who are the main signatories to the 2018 peace deal, were exploring ways to settle the violations and move on to meet the deadline of the 24-month roadmap, which is expected to guide the country in general elections in December 2024.
Dau said the focus on the peace deal is never distracted in any way.
“We have a joint taskforce for us to be able to focus on constitution-making process and the elections. We are talking about reconstitution of political parties and the reconstitution of the reconstituted elections commission,” he asserted.
“Of course, there are other things [like] popularization of the roadmap, issues of commission for Truth, Reconciliation and Healing. We have also a focus on them and the minster of justice is working on that line.”
Although the minister noted the challenges in the dissemination of the roadmaps and establishment of the transitional justice bodies, he said the regime was determined to go for elections.
“We are determined to meet the deadline that we gave to ourselves,” he stated. “With this efforts, we will culminate into the elections by the end of the transitional period or the roadmap,”
In January this year, the government asked the United Nations to to help in elections preparation for ballot in 2024 which they said the UN is undertaking.
