South Sudan's English Daily Newspaper
"We Dare where others fear"
By Awan Achiek
The Minister of Petroleum Puot Kang Chol on Tuesday refuted claims making rounds that there will be another extension of the transitional period which is nearing it’s end in February 2025.
This followed social media reports claiming on Monday, that the high-level committee on the implementation of the 2018 Revitalized Agreement on the Resolution of Conflict in South Sudan (R-ARCSS) agreed at a meeting to extend the Roadmap for another 24 months.
The reports said that the declaration was made by Puot Kang Chol, who spoke on behalf of the committee after completion of the review status for implementation of the Roadmap.
Chol said he doesn’t have the authority to make a declaration on extension of the Roadmap.
“Let it be known to the entire public, that I did not make any declaration of the extension of the Roadmap,” Chol posted on his X, formerly known as twitter on Tuesday.
He said the mandate of the high-level committee on the Roadmap is to review the implementation status of agreement and present their report to the presidency that makes the final decision.
“Our job as the high -level committee on the Roadmap, which we have completed today (Tuesday), was only to review the implementation status of the R-ARCSS , explanatory note on implementation status and make recommendations on the way forward to the principals who will make the final decision and declaration of what next,” Chol said.
In August 2022, the parties to the 2018 revitalized peace agreement extended the transition period, citing unfinished critical tasks within the peace agreement.
The country is due to hold it’s first ever national elections in December 2024, to transition the country toward democratic governance after years of brutal conflict since outbreak in December 2013.
