Month: October 2020

The South Sudan government delegations are in Khartoum for a bilateral talk on joint security and political mechanisms. Three Cabinet members headed by the Minister of Defense and Veterans Affairs, Angelina Teny left Juba on Monday, October 26, 2020.

The Chief of Defense Forces, the Inspector of Police, and Chief of Military Intelligence are also part of the delegation.

Minsters to attend the talk include Interior minister Paul Mayom and minister of foreign affairs Beatrice Khamis. The delegation is part of the security mechanism established in the cooperation mechanism during the implementation.

The talk aims to address the unsolved issues stated during the Comprehensive Peace Agreement –CPA signed in 2005 that ended decades of war in Sudan. 

The two countries had a border disagreement that led to the Heglig crisis [Panthou] in 2012 over the oil-rich regions’ control.

Hon: Angelina Teny said the talk would dress border demarcation, trade, banking, and freedom of movement between Sudanese and South Sudanese people. 

 “We are going to follow up on some of those meetings. Several issues have been agreed upon, but several issues remained outstanding. So we will go and do our best to see that we address those unique issues. We feel that the time is opportune; the environment is now very conducive to signing the Sudan Peace Agreement. “Angelina said. 

The Interior minister Paul Mayom said the resumption of talks would boost the relationship between the two countries and addressed the remaining contentious issues in the cooperation agreement. 

 “We would want to finalize the issues of corridors that are being opened now. We have agreed initially on four to be open. Now the one of Reng, the one of Maganis, which is part of North Upper Nile, will also handle the one coming from Bentiu through Heglig. And we shall handle as well the one of Timtha,” He mentioned.

The foreign affairs minister Beatrice Khamise Beatrice said she would follow the payment of benefit for the South Sudanese. They served in the Khartoum government before the country gained independence in 2011.

She also highlights the need for cooperation between two Sudan “will also have the opportunity at all sideline of the meeting, the acting minister of foreign affairs. We will look at the issues we can cooperate one. One of the other infrastructures I’m looking at the railway because the railway line is essential. And transportation by rail is cost-effective, and we can bring bulky goods to our country.”

In 2017, the Ministry of Labor, Public Service, and Human Resource Development said the committee was formed to work with Sudan to finalize the payment of pensions of South Sudanese who retired before independence in 2011.

South Sudan delegation who left Juba on Monday will spend one week in Khartoum during the talk.

A lawmaker representing Rubkona County at the National Legislative Assembly has condemned youth arrests in Unity State.

The security alleged for arrested eight youth members last week over what residents described peaceful demonstration against Greater Pioneer Oil Company- GPOC.

The Greater Pioneer Oil Company is a Chinese oil and gas company contracted by the government of South Sudan.

Youth in Rubkona demonstrated on Friday 16 October, demanding equal employment in the oil sector produces in their area. The authority said the youth was arrested after using violence and closed the company’s gate to address their concerns.

Eight youth members were later released without charge after Governor Joseph Monytuil’s intervention. The youth demanded employment, business support, scholarship, road construction, environmental protection, construction of health centers, and schools.

Hon. Buay Keke Turol, an MP of Rubkona County at the National Assembly. He said youth arrest was unconstitutional. Such action was against citizens’ rights because they used non-violence to raise their concerns to the oil company.

“We want to say that young people deserved opportunities in their country. They deserve to be given opportunities to work and prosper to establish their facilities and provide leadership in this country. This is their right. The government should make sure that such opportunities are provided to the people” he said.

The director of information and communication in Unity State, Kang Bol, acknowledged that Rubkona youth have a constitutional right to raise their demands. But should not be a violent process that undermines the labor law.

Kang blamed GPOC for recruiting people in Juba. He said the company should publicly advertise the vacancies so that citizens applied. Recruiting people in the national capital and bring to the field without considering people in the oil-producing area is a mistake.

“Well, you know peaceful protest no one should stand against it even the state government does not stop anybody from claiming his or her rights. But, why the security arrested them was the action they have taken. We mean by the peaceful demonstration by putting your demands or your complaint in writing and then presenting to the company’s authority. And another sector saying this is our demands,” Kang stated.

In June 2020, the national staff working in GPOC have demonstrated in Unity State against its policy. They said it is discrimination against national workers by the oil consortium.

The GPOC was quoted denied any wrong-doing. They rejected and condemned unfair discrimination or ill intentions towards National Employees.

The Ceasefire Transitional Security Arrangement Monitoring and Verification Mechanism [CTSAMVM] has called the Unity government to control internal military defection. Ceasefire monitors were such concerns about senior army officers changing allegiance within TGoNU while the parties are implementing security arrangements before the unification of forces. 

In September, a General from SPLA-IO Moses Lokujo defected to the SSPDF, which was seen as a false indication of the agreement. The parties to the agreement were urges to discourage unlawful activities from stopping putting the deal at risk. 

On Monday, CTSAMVM has discussed the implementation of the Ceasefire Agreement in Juba. Parties’ representatives attended the talk. The discussion highlight concerns on the recent clashes among the SPLM-IO forces after a general switched to the SSPDF in September. 

The monitoring body urged the parties to adhere to the revitalized agreement, stop the violence, and bring non-signatories on board.

Acting Chairperson of the Ceasefire Transitional Council, Gen. Dafalla Hamid Mohammed, says defection should not be allowed to weaken the agreement’s implementation.

“There was significant violence involving the reported change of allegiance of Maj Gen Moses Lokujo from SPLM/A-IO to SSPDF, which resulted in violent clashes in the area of Moroto on 7, 29 September and 4 October between SPLM/A-IO and forces loyal to Maj Gen Lokujo.” Hamid me mentioned.

Mohammed appreciated the parties’ commitment to resolving clashes in Moroto amicably, which he believes such development can jeopardize the Peace Agreement.

The Representatives from oppositions who are parties to the peace agreement include the SPLM-IO, South Sudan Opposition Alliance, and Former detainee are urge the Unity government to stop welcoming people defecting from one party to another.

General David Nyang is from the South Sudan Opposition Alliance –SSOA. He said the Unity government should discourage internal defection as time is close to unifying the army under one command.

“The season of migration or changing allegiance from one party to another is over. It doesn’t make sense that a military group moves from one party to another that could trigger a big problem. We have only days, weeks, or months to have one unified army; we wonder where are they going? We urge the leadership this practice should be discouraged,” He said.

The SPLM-IO has called for willingness from the parties to graduates the unifying forces. It warned that soldiers would leave training centers if not graduating in a few weeks or months due to unfavorable situations. The troops are seen losing truth after many promises have not been implemented.

Brig General. Andrea Mangu Adora said the graduation of unifying forces is a symbol that could create hope of peace for South Sudan. 

“Our unify forces in the training centers their situation are difficult too tough, and to talk about it have become monotonous. We urge the concern to have the willingness to graduates and deploy the forces that are in the training centers right now, so that we may create hope of peace in the heart of our citizens,” Gen Mangu said.

The former Incumbent transitional government of National Unity [ITGoNU] ‘s representative at CTSAMVM urged the parties to double their efforts to implement the peace agreement’s provisions. Maj Gen. Rabi Mujung echoed the calls to make the officers defecting accountable, cautioning that such acts could destabilize the country’s security.

He explained that“changing of allegiance emerged after the signing of the agreement and we have been seeing it from time to time. I see it as something that we cannot encourage since we had agreed that all the fighting forces would be unified into a national army. I quite agree with some recommendations from colleagues that such practices have to stop, and those who are involved in causing insecurity should be accounted for.”

According to the peace monitors, the pre-transitional task and cantonment activities includes registration of forces, have not yet complete. The revitalized agreement is the only hope to bring durable peace to South Sudan.