RJMEC, IGAD convene South Sudan Joint Security Mechanism Workshop in Juba

The Reconstituted Joint Monitoring and Evaluation Commission (RJMEC) and the office of the IGAD Special Envoy for South Sudan, have on Friday May 10, 2019 commenced a two-day workshop for the Joint Security Mechanisms in Juba.

The convening of the workshop follows a recommendation made in Addis Ababa by the Parties to the Revitalized Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in the Republic of South Sudan (R-ARCSS) that the two “urgently convene a workshop for all the security mechanisms to develop a clear roadmap and implementation schedules for the pending tasks and commit to abide by the roadmap”.

The urgency to convene the security workshop was also endorsed by the IGAD Council of Ministers during its 67th Extra-Ordinary Session held in Juba on 7th May 2019.  

Speaking during the opening session of the workshop in Juba on Friday, RJMEC Interim Chairperson Ambassador Lt. Gen. Augostino Njoroge said:

“For some time now the people of South Sudan and indeed the whole region have grown increasingly anxious about the slow progress in what is termed as the Pre-Transitional Phase of the R-ARCSS, 2018.” 
“As we moved closer to the critical date of 12 May 2019 it became clear that tasks vital to the Pre-Transitional Phase, particularly the formation of Unified Forces necessary for a Revitalized Transitional Government of National Unity, could not be completed in time,” he added.
 
In addition, the Chairperson said, that although issues such as the States and Boundaries remain unresolved, the most critical issue to the Agreement is the Permanent Security Arrangements as detailed in Chapter II of the R-ARCSS, in paragraphs 2.2.1 and 2.3.1. the training and redeployment of Necessary Unified Forces.

The workshop is expected to review current work plans of the mechanisms; challenges experienced and plan on the accomplishment of the pending tasks based on the timeframe agreed upon in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

The opening of the workshop was attended by IGAD Special Envoy for South Sudan Ambassador Dr. Ismail Wais, Chairpersons and representatives of the various security Agreement mechanisms such as the Joint Defence Board (JDB), the Strategic Defence and Security Review Board (SDSR-B), Joint Military Ceasefire Committee (JMCC), Joint Transitional Security Committee (JTSC) and the Ceasefire and Transitional Security Arrangements Monitoring and Verification Mechanism (CTSAMVM) as well as the National Pre-Transitional Committee (NPTC) representatives.