Rome peace talks update – Day Two, 10th October, 2020
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Press Update from Rome
Today in the afternoon, SSOMA and Government of the Republic of South Sudan met on the 2nd day running to resolve the protracted seven year-old-conflict in the Republic of South Sudan.
The agenda of discussion before the actual discussion on the conflict’s root causes is the review of the Cessation of Hostilities’ Agreement commonly referred to as COHA two parties recommitted themselves to early January and operationalized in late February this year.
Initially government was not for the review of the COHA and instead wanted SSOMA to recommit to its implementation in order to be urgently integrated into CTSAMVM structures.
However, SSOMA swiftly turned down the government’s point of view, arguing reason making the parties violate the COHA they agreed on be pointed out and amicably resolved to avoid future violations which have become the order of the day.
SSSOMA further demanded the adoption of a new policy framework of subjecting the COHA to constant verification mechanism by San’t Egidio before renewal by the warring parties based on the outcome of the review.
For the mandate of the COHA can no longer be indefinite,concluded SSOMA.
In response, government said there is no reason for three months’ verification by parties since it is the technical work of CTSAMVM as part of evaluation and monitoring mechanism.
After about nearly three hours of heated negotiation, the mediating body, Sant’s Egidio struck a compromise which took parties’ time to understand, accept and reach conclusion as per SSOMA’s demand.
That COHA within three months shall be monitored and verified by mediating Sant’Egidio and based on the outcome of monitoring and verification of political will, then the parties shall to decide whether to continue with or discard COHA.
Monitoring and verification shall only be operationalized immediately after the proposed CTSAMVM’s workshop takes place in November.
Deng Vanang is the UDRM/A’s Secretary-General and official Spokesman for SSOMA delegation in Rome, Italy. He can be reached via his email address: dvanang@gmail.com
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