South Sudan: No Money, No Peace…let the Khawaja Pay
By John Youhanes Magok, Juba, South Sudan
Friday, February 15, 2019 (PW) — Five month already gone wasted since the signing of the revitalized agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in the Republic of South Sudan in September 12, 2018. The peace was echo with a wide jubilation in Khartoum, other capital cities in the region and finally it was hauled to Juba with the name “Peace Celebration” under the auspicious of president of the Republic H.E. Salva Kiir Mayradit in the presence of regional leaders among them the main guarantors Omer Al-Bashir of Sudan and his counterpart Yoweri Museveni of Uganda, President of Ethiopia Sahle-Work Zewde was among the attendee and other IGAD mediation teams.
The celebration was a good gesture and a new commitment toward peace return in a nation that suffered for the last five years yarning for stability and lasting security. Unfortunately, the event was an analogy of putting chariot before the horse and the hidden load only floated after the celebration, where the main melody turned to be lack of financial “funds” or “Money” to operationalize the terms of the revitalized agreement stipulated in the pre-interim period that is projected to last for eight months to pave a way for the formation of the Revitalized Transitional Government of National Unity (R-TGoNU) accommodating the former foes, the fragmented SPLM/A.
It seem the international partners who most of them abstained from signing the revitalized agreement showing reservation and frustration with the state of the ex-agreement (2015), that was trashed by the parties in 2016 leading for a new eruption of war and violence. This rift and color changing from the donors, led the parties to move in a sluggish motion waiting for the international community (Khawajat) to render their financial support for the implementation of all pre-transitional activities.
The IGAD led mediation fall into the same temptation of financial provision where the rejuvenation of former Joint Monitoring and Evaluation Commission JMEC, formation of National Constitutional Amendment Committee and nomination of members to Independent Boundaries Commission IBC that is mainly tasked to determine the number of states to be adapted during the would-be transitional government, all were formed under deferral and more backlogs are expected on the remaining stipulations. The reconstituted JMEC on October last year prophesized the ultimate stall of the peace implementation process if the requisite financing for pre-interim is failed.
The major puzzle remain the financial constraints where parties’ leaders turned to be beggars of international community to fund the peace process…but the questions remain, why it is possible to fund war and unable to fund peace? The oil is operational for five months, where is the revenue? The parties cannot blame Khawajat for not funding the peace activities during the pre-interim period. The National Pre-Transitional Committee (NPTC) still to roll-out the final budget for funding the military cantonment process, training and redeployment of the necessary unified forces that shall not exceed the remaining three months.
The amount in whatever sum is not incomparable with the revenues generated from the oil production in this last four months. Thus, the issue remains a matter of political wills from all partiers to make a financial commitment and deduct a quota from oil revenue to fund the peace process. The melody of “no money”, “no peace”, should cease and substituted by local resources mobilization. Khawajat are not going to pay for a peace that they didn’t even sign due to the lack of trust and seriousness in process.
It is yet, the people of South Sudan who are and still suffer due to the absent of peace and political atmosphere that is appearing foggy. The parties should realize that the search for peace is an inside job that need to be done by the people of South Sudan without any further externalization.
You can reach the author via his email: John Youhanes <johnyouhanes@gmail.com>
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