The South Sudanese Have Less Thank 6 Weeks To Form A Transitional Government

With less than six weeks remaining to meet the extended deadline to form a Transitional Government of National Unity, South Sudan’s leaders have a clear duty to their citizens to deliver. 

For the last fifty days, meetings between leaders of key parties and their public commitment to form a government of national unity by the February deadline. These meetings have been ongoing in Troika Norway under the guidance of the Norwegian and US government.

Ending reliance on military force and creating political space for a diverse range of voices from all political parties, civil society, and the media is essential to creating a durable peace and an inclusive government that represents the interests of all parties to the agreement. 

The voices of South Sudan’s civil society leaders, who have called on the government to fund the peace process transparently, and encourage all signatories to demonstrate measurable progress on the issues of states and boundaries and on the implementation of pre-transitional security arrangements.  It is important that South Sudan’s recommitment to the inclusion of at least 35 percent of women in every level of government as decided by all the parties. 

The people of South Sudan deserve a government that respects human rights and leaders who make necessary compromises for the greater good of the country.  The signatories are urged to the Revitalized Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in the Republic of South Sudan (R-ARCSS) to fulfill their obligations to represent the interests of all South Sudanese, do all that is required to form an inclusive national unity government, and lay the foundations for the next steps of South Sudan’s peace process and political transition.