Thursday, April 23, 2020 (PW) — The IGAD Council of Ministers has decided to convene an extraordinary meeting on South Sudan on Thursday, a statement from the IGAD office said. Community Empowerment for Progress Organization welcomes the remarkable move of the IGAD council of ministers.
It is encouraging that IGAD council of ministers responded positively to the calls made by various actors including CEPO for the council of ministers to act on the delay of the parties in forming revitalized transitional government at state and local level, reconstituting the national legislative assembly into revitalized transitional national legislative assembly, revitalized transitional council of states including reconstituting the independent commissions into revitalized transitional independent commissions
Mr. Edmund Yakani, Executive Director of CEPO said the meeting is timely and it should come out with practical and concrete decisions that make the parties to complete the full formation of the revitalized transitional government of national unity. It is disturbing to see the political parties not committed to timely compliance with the provisions of the revitalized peace agreement
It is time, for South Sudan parties to compromise on the issue of the formation of the state and local governments. The difference in responsibility sharing formula at state level should not act as an obstacle for timely formation of revitalized transitional government at state and local government. The incumbent government should take lead in compromising over this matter since the incumbent will be responsibility for the appointment of leadership to the political administrative areas. Mr. Yakani stressed
CEPO urge the parties to take the proposed compromising formula of the incumbent government takes 5 states, SPLM-IO takes 3 states and SSOA and Other Political Parties take one state per each. While the incumbent government will be responsible for administering the three political administrative areas. This is a compromising position for actualizing the formation of state and local government. The meeting should also take strong decisions on the reconstitution of the National Legislative Assembly, Council of states, Independent Commissions
CEPO urges IGAD council of ministers should also strongly remains the parties about their agreed upon obligation for full enforcement of 35% for women quota including of the inclusion of young age people in the revitalized transitional government of national unity.
Finally, CEPO is urging IGAD council of ministers to encourage the parties to include representative of persons with disabilities among their appointees to the parliament at national, state and local government levels including the council of states. IGAD council of ministers should also call for the parties to honor and respect Rome Declaration they signed.