Machar and Governors disagree over pace of peace implementation

A disagreement have emerged in the ongoing governors forum over who is to blame in the slow implementation of the revitalised peace deal both side national and state governments seem to point fingers on who is not fully implementing the agreement.

The First Vice President Dr. Riek Machar told the governors forum that the states have been too slow at achieving the threshold for the implementation. He decried the glare pending tasks yet to be accomplished, even as the country ushers in a new forum to end the year.

“The assessment is that only 10 per cent has been implemented, particularly at the state level…I can say less than 10 per cent of that [resolutions] have been implemented.’’ Machar said while addressing the 6th Governors’ Forum.

But some of the participants disagree with his narrative, the governor of Central Equatoria state said he totally disagree with figure in terms of the status of the implementation.

“We in Central Equatoria have also a stock of our state’s outlook and performed an analysis of the status of the implementation”. said the Hon. Emmanuel Adil.

The governors forum is discussing the roadmap and build on what was agreed upon last year. Dr. Machar insists the governors and the chief administrators have failed the agreement.

The Minister of Presidential Affairs, Dr. Barnaba Marial Benjamin cautioned the participants against trading blames. “Percentages are questionable; you can say 14 per cent or 15 per cent; the only thing is to have the details.”

He urged the governors to also be mindful of the figures. “You are free to criticize the percentages, but don’t also give us percentages because they are suspect,” Dr. Marial asserted.

Last year, the Governors’ forum came up with 79 recommendations which includes the pursue of more local peace initiatives across the country to end communal conflicts, ending child and women abduction, regulate cattle movement to avoid conflicts between the pastoralists and the farmers, return schools’ lands, recreational centers and public open spaces given to the investors and individuals and return confiscated properties of religious institutions including lands among many other resolution in regard to the implementation of the revitalized peace agreement.