The Reconstituted Joint Monitoring and Evaluation Commission on the South Sudan peace process has called for the resolution of the standoff over firing of key ministers.
Through a presidential decree of March 3, 2023, President Salva Kiir fired Defence and Veteran Affairs minister Angelina Teny and her Interior counterpart Mahmoud Solomon.
Kiir also swapped the two ministries between the incumbent Transitional Government of National Unity and the SPLM-IO (in opposition).
Teny is the wife of First Vice President Riek Machar, who has rejected the move by President Kiir and called for her reinstatement. The decision has heightened tensions in government and risks derailing the implementation deadline months to its deadline.
In a statement on Thursday, RJMEC said with less than 24 months of the extended transitional period remaining, the deadlock should be resolved as soon as possible so that the peace agreement can continue to be implemented in a timely manner.
By firing Teny and swapping the ministries, President Kiir has abandoned the revitalized peace agreement, which hands the docket to Machar’s side.
A week later, Kiir also fired Foreign Affairs Minister Mayiik Ayii Deng, his ally whom he had appointed to the post in September 2021. His predecessor, Beatrice Khamisa Wani, had also been fired without reasons. Wani had held the post since the coalition government took power in South Sudan in June 2020.
SPLM-IO has opposed the decision, with the Political Bureau — the highest decision making body — saying the move violates Article 1(12)(1) of the peace deal, which requires parties to agree on the allocation and selection of ministerial portfolios in the government.
“In light of the above violations, the Political Bureau would like to point out that the RTGoNU [government] is founded on the premise of collegial collaboration in decision making and continuous consultations within the Presidency, between the President, the First Vice President and the four vice presidents, to ensure effective governance during the transition period,” Machar, the SPLM-IO chairman, said in the March 4 statement.
And while RJMEC on Thursday welcomed the decision of the President and the First Vice President to meet and discuss the issue, Machar's spokesman Puok Both Baluang has twice announced the postponement of the meeting.
The first meeting was scheduled for March 6 but was postponed to March 9. The meeting again pushed to March 10 “at the request of the President”. It went ahead on Friday but the outcome of the meeting was not immediately established.
RJMEC urged the parties to the peace deal to observe the letter and spirit of the agreement, “which is founded on collaboration, consultation, and agreement between the parties”.
“If there is a deadlock between the Parties to the Agreement, a referral can be made to RJMEC pursuant to Article 7.11 of the R-ARCSS to engage the Parties with a view to finding a compromise and / or recommending measures to break the deadlock,” the Maj Gen (Rtd) Charles Gituai-led RJMEC said.
A senior diplomatic source on Thursday told the Star that Kenya has expressed concerns over the development as a guarantor on the peace process.
The peace process is at a crucial stage and Nicholas Haysom, Head of the United Nations Mission in South Sudan, on Monday told the UN Security Council that South Sudan leaders face a stark choice.
“They can embark upon a path of mutual cooperation and reconciliation in the urgent implementation of their peace agreement or they can take a low road which privileges self-interest and conflict over nation building,” Haysom said.
He further noted that the principle of partnerships underpins their strategic vision to prevent a return to civil war and to build durable peace.
"We see 2023 as a “make or break” year and as a test for all parties to the peace agreement,” he added in his statement