South Sudan Could Return to War, Peace Monitors Warn

The Reconstituted Joint Monitoring and Evaluation Commission (RJMEC) on Monday warned that South Sudan’s 2018 peace agreement is at risk of collapse, citing widespread failures in implementation and deepening political mistrust among signatory parties. Presenting RJMEC’s second quarterly report to the national parliament, Interim Chairperson Amb. Maj. Gen. Aggrey George Owinow said the continued house arrest of First Vice President Riek Machar has severely undermined the governance cluster of the Revitalized Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in the Republic of South Sudan (R-ARCSS), which Machar chairs. … He also criticized what he described as unilateral decisions made by some parties in breach of power-sharing arrangements. … He warned that South Sudan risks sliding back into armed conflict unless immediate and coordinated action is taken. … RJMEC called for an immediate ceasefire, the release of detainees, inclusive inter-party dialogue, and accelerated implementation of the agreement. The commission said these calls are consistent with those made by regional and international actors, including IGAD, the United Nations, the African Union Peace and Security Council, and others during a recent joint solidarity mission to South Sudan. Radio Tamazuj