South Sudan's English Daily Newspaper
"We Dare where others fear"
By Simon Deng
The parties in the transitional unity government have been asked to speed up the implementation of the pending critical tasks within the 2018 revitalized peace agreement ahead of the 2026 elections.
Lony Ruot, member of the Voluntary Civil Society Taskforce (VCST)- a coalition of four civil society groups, expressed on Tuesday deep concern over the continuous violations of the ceasefire by both state and non-state armed actors following spike in violence in Yei and Kajo Keji counties where more than 20 civilians were killed recently.
Ruot made these remarks during the opening of the three-day conference in Juba, where he called on the parties to the revitalized peace agreement to summon the necessary political will to conclude the pending peace tasks spelled out in the peace agreement.
He noted that primary responsibility of any government is to protect lives and property through respect for rule of law, human rights and democratic governance, which in turn ushers in sustainable peace, security, stability and socio-economic development.
Ruot revealed that the quest for sustainable peace, long-term reforms and transformation remain elusive, adding that the government needs to adopt an approach that addresses the pending tasks such as the full graduation and deployment of the necessary unified forces.
“The only chance for us as a people, country and government is to embark on meaningful reforms and transformation, the government, armed groups and factions to embark on robust process of building trust between them and the civilians.”
Voluntary Civil Society Taskforce is a coalition that brings together organizations like South Sudan Network for Democracy and Election (SSUNDE), Organization for Non-Violence (ONAD), Standard Action Liaison Force (SALF) and South Sudan Democratic Engagement Monitoring & Observation Programme (SSUDEMOP).