Africa-Press – South-Sudan. South Sudan’s main armed opposition leader, Riek Machar of the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement in Opposition (SPLM-IO), has called for a 24-month extension of the country’s transitional period, delaying its first elections.
Machar who is also the first vice president cited, in a letter to President Salva Kiir Mayardit on February 13, 2024, incomplete provisions of the revitalized peace agreement as justification for the delay.
He stressed the need to complete security arrangements, establish a permanent constitution, conduct a population census, implement judicial reforms, address the repatriation of refugees and resettlement of internally displaced persons, establish transitional justice mechanisms, disseminate the peace agreement, reconstitute independent commissions and institutions, and conduct pre-election activities, including voter registration.
Machar argued that these outstanding tasks require a timeline extending at least 24 months and necessitate dialogue among parties to agree on a path forward, emphasizing that the constitution-making process has the longest timeline and will ultimately determine the end of the transitional period and the timing of elections.
“In light of this, it is imperative that the parties to the Agreement must dialogue among themselves in order to chart the way forward to allow for the implementation of these critical activities that are extremely important for a peaceful and democratic end of the transition,” he said.
The main armed opposition leader further reiterated his group’s commitment to the implementation of the agreement.
“The SPLM/SPLA (IO) reiterates its full commitment to the implementation of the R-ARCSS as the only viable option for peaceful and democratic transition,” he said.
Under the terms of the revitalized peace agreement and a 2022 extension roadmap, South Sudan was scheduled to hold its first elections in December of this year.
However, recent months have seen calls from various political groups urging leaders to engage in dialogue as crucial provisions of the revitalized agreement remain unimplemented.
Prominent opposition leader Lam Akol earlier this month and the South Sudan Opposition Alliance (SSOA), led by Josephine Lague, have both echoed this sentiment.
Lague expressed readiness for elections but also called for dialogue among peace parties.
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