Political stability depends on constitution-making process, says activist

By Simon Deng

The Executive Director for Community Empowerment for Progress Organization (CEPO), Edmund Yakani said on Monday that political stability will only be realized if the permanent constitution- making process is concluded.

“We see the constitution- making process as one of the processes that will provide answers to the root causes or the underlying factors that have created political instability in our country,” Yakani said in an interview with The Dawn.

He noted that opposition parties attending the Nairobi peace talks are concerned about the delay on the constitutional making process.

 Yakani revealed that the parties to the Nairobi peace talks will soon sign negotiation document on the constitution making process, adding that negotiation will be based on the Declaration of Principles reached by the parties in Rome.

 “We will be looking into the declaration of principles together with chapter six of the revitalized peace agreement, and issues that were raised in other processes like national dialogue, the constitution workshop that focused on parameters of constitution making process and then the national constitution-making process Act,” said Yakani.

The Nairobi peace talks which commenced on May 3, are being attended by the South Sudan United Front  (SSUF) led by Paul Malong Awan, and Real Sudan People’s Liberation Movement led by Pagan Amum Okiech.

The National Salvation Front (NAS) led by Thomas Cirilo Swaka, citing lack of security guarantees and also not being invited are absent from the talks.

In November 2023, President Salva Kiir Mayardit in a decree appointed, Riang Yier Zuor from the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement- in opposition as the chairperson for the Reconstituted National Constitution Review Commission (R-NCRC), Awak Bior Ajang from the SPLM as  the deputy chairperson for the R-NCRC and Natana John Abraham, secretary general.