Africa-Press – South-Sudan. Two United States Senators have introduced a resolution that would install a revitalized American policy towards South Sudan stressing that South Sudan leaders have failed to uphold their responsibilities towards their citizens.
In the resolution, Senators James Risch and Booker said South Sudan leaders “have consistently failed to uphold their responsibilities to create the conditions for peace and prosperity, have prioritized self-preservation and corruption over the needs of the people they represent, have acted in bad faith in the implementation of cease-fire and peace agreements, and have betrayed the cause of freedom, resulting in the loss of millions of innocent lives.”
They also stressed “South Sudan has not held an election since its independence and the current leaders of South Sudan were appointed or installed through transitional arrangements based on peace agreements”
They called on the “Secretary of State to lead a comprehensive interagency process to develop a revitalized United States policy toward South Sudan that (A) identifies a broader range of South Sudanese political and civilian stakeholders, beyond President Kiir and First Vice President Machar, with whom the United States may work for the promotion of peace, democracy, development, accountability, transparency, and anti-corruption efforts.”
That policy will also “restores United States diplomatic leadership with regard to South Sudan alongside European and African partners, reflects the realities of the conflict and the political context in South Sudan [and] increases diplomatic efforts to urge regional actors, particularly in Kenya and Uganda, to investigate assets of corrupt South Sudanese elites and ensure Kenya and Uganda are no longer havens for conflict- and corruption-related proceeds.”
South Sudan has been in a deadly conflict since December 2013 after a national gathering of the ruling SPLM party turned violence leading to civilian massacres in Juba sparking army mutiny among top army officers commenced one of the most deadly civil wars in the continent that has displaced millions and killed hundreds of thousands.
A peace agreement signed in September 2018 has not been properly implemented owing to lack of will of the South Sudanese leaders.
