Africa-Press – South-Sudan. The Minister of Peacebuilding, Stephen Par Kuol, has told lawmakers that the 2018 revitalized peace agreement is still on track, despite the challenges facing its implementation.
Par, who also serves as the interim chairperson of the SPLM-IO, made the remarks while responding to questions during a parliamentary session on Tuesday.
This followed a concern raised by MP Giel Thou, who questioned the status of the peace agreement, citing the continued house arrest of First Vice President Dr. Riek Machar.
In his response, Minister Par said the current government and its institutions, including parliament, derive their legitimacy from the peace deal, and insisted that there is no alternative to its full implementation.
“The agreement is on track with all the challenges that we all know. But here is what we don’t want to say. If we declare a collapse today, we will not be here, including R-JMEC, because we are all established by this agreement.
“But there is no other alternative to this agreement. All the parties represented in the High-Level Committee for Implementation of Peace Agreement, because the agreement is a political agreement of the parties. We say it is still on track with all the challenges,” he said.
Also present during the session was the Minister of Cabinet Affairs, Dr. Martin Elia Lomuro, who also reiterated the view that the peace deal remains functional.
He clarified that the agreement was signed between parties, not individuals, and said that the absence of a party leader does not stop the political organization from functioning.
Dr. Lomuro defended the recognition of Minister Par Kuol as acting chairperson of the SPLM-IO, saying the party’s constitution allows for interim leadership in such situations.
“Well, the agreement was an agreement of parties, not individuals. So, if one individual from one party is not present, for whatever reason, including death, it doesn’t mean that party cannot be run by another person. That’s the reality of life.
“And we in the government did have to check how to recognise the interim chairmanship of the SPLMIO. And we met as a high-level committee in order for us to see the basis of recognising the chairmanship, the administration of the interim chair of the SPLMIO. And we have looked at the constitution of the SPLMIO, which provides for establishment of an interim administration,” he said.
The two ministers made the remarks during a sitting in which lawmakers deliberated on the third quarterly report of the Reconstituted Joint Monitoring and Evaluation Commission (R-JMEC).
The report on the status of the peace agreement was presented by the Chairperson of the Parliamentary Committee on Peace and Reconciliation, Bona Deng Lawrence.
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