Eight opposition groups and civil society organisations in South Sudan have called on the regional bloc IGAD to review the country's peace agreement and convene an inclusive national political dialogue. In a joint letter dated 23 September, the groups stated that the Revitalised Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in South Sudan (R-ARCSS) had collapsed as the framework for governing the country's political transition. They expressed concern that the transitional arrangements had reached 22 September without an agreed successor framework, creating a constitutional and political crisis.
The groups criticised recent changes to the 2018 peace agreement and electoral laws, saying amendments to the R-ARCSS in July had removed the link between elections and completion of a permanent constitution and national census. They also noted that President Salva Kiir Mayardit had assented on 21 September to amendments to the National Elections Act that would keep the president in office during the electoral period while allowing for the removal of the first vice-president and other vice-presidents. These changes, they argued, undermined the power-sharing structure established under the peace agreement.
The opposition groups and civil society organisations stated that the R-ARCSS, signed in 2018, had failed to deliver several of its key commitments, including security-sector unification, institutional reforms, transitional justice, a permanent constitution and credible elections. They expressed frustration that the agreement had not brought about the desired peace and stability in the country. As a result, they said they would not participate in or legitimise elections unless certain conditions were met.
The groups proposed an inclusive national political dialogue involving the government, political parties, opposition movements, civil society, religious and traditional leaders, women, young people and other constituencies. They suggested that the dialogue produce a binding constitutional settlement covering the system of government, the distribution and exercise of political power, rights and freedoms, institutional accountability, security governance and the framework for democratic transition.
The letter was signed by several prominent leaders, including Nathaniel Oyet Perieno, acting chairman and commander-in-chief of the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement/Army-In Opposition, and Dr Goi Jooyul Yol, secretary-general of the SPLM/A-IO Kit-Gwang. Other signatories included Nhial Deng Nhial, chairman of the South Sudan Salvation Movement, and Changson Chang, chairman of the People’s Resistance Front.
The groups urged IGAD, working with the African Union, the United Nations, the Reconstituted Joint Monitoring and Evaluation Commission and other international partners, to convene an extraordinary summit to review the status of the R-ARCSS and initiate the proposed political process. The letter was copied to senior regional and international officials, including Djibouti’s President Ismaïl Omar Guelleh and UN Secretary-General António Guterres.
The R-ARCSS was signed in September 2018 and established a power-sharing transitional government intended to lead South Sudan towards elections and a permanent constitutional order. The agreement aimed to bring an end to the conflict that had plagued the country since 2013. However, the recent developments have raised concerns about the country's progress towards peace and stability.
Key points
- The opposition groups and civil society organisations in South Sudan have called for a review of the peace agreement and an inclusive national political dialogue.
- The groups criticised recent changes to the 2018 peace agreement and electoral laws, saying they undermined the power-sharing structure established under the peace agreement.
- The groups proposed an inclusive national political dialogue to produce a binding constitutional settlement covering the system of government and the framework for democratic transition.
