South Sudan's English Daily Newspaper
"We Dare where others fear"
By Simon Deng
The chairperson of the Transitional Justice Working Group (TJWG) and president of the Standard Action Liaison Force (SALF) Lony Ruot Kok, has urged the transitional government of national unity to address ongoing conflicts in order to achieve peace across South Sudan.
“The people of South Sudan have waited too long for peace to become a reality. The time has come for the government to demonstrate genuine political will and deliver on the promise of independence,” Kok stated in a statement on Tuesday.
“War must never be an option for resolving disagreements. A peaceful South Sudan cannot be built on the suffering of its own people,” he added.
Kok further called on the government to establish and adhere to clear, realistic, and transparent implementation timelines, along with adequate financial and logistical support, to ensure the conduct of credible, democratic, and peaceful elections by December 2026.
The TJWG is urging national leadership, stakeholders, and international partners to use the independence anniversary as a moment to redirect efforts toward a peaceful, just, and democratic future.
Kok noted that the founding aspirations of a united, secure, and prosperous South Sudan remain unrealised, thirteen years after gaining sovereignty. He emphasised that the country continues to face significant social, economic, political, and security-related challenges.
“TJWG calls for immediate government action to cease all hostilities, including military offensives targeting civilian populations and infrastructure, and to uphold the principle of nonviolence in dispute resolution,” he stated.
He identified the protracted and inconsistent implementation of the 2018 Revitalised Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in the Republic of South Sudan as the main challenge to peace.
Kok also expressed concern over recent credible reports of renewed fighting, including indiscriminate attacks against civilians, aerial bombings, and the alleged use of cluster munitions, describing the situation as profoundly alarming.
“If substantiated, these acts constitute serious breaches of the revitalised agreement, as well as violations of international humanitarian law, international human rights law, and potentially customary international law,” he said.
Kok stressed the importance of investing in public services and socioeconomic development, including healthcare, education, clean water, infrastructure, agriculture, and job creation, particularly for women, youth, and vulnerable populations.
“The Revitalised Government of National Unity (R-TGoNU) must assume full and unconditional ownership of the peace process—not merely as a political obligation, but as a moral imperative to its citizens.”
