By Yiep Joseph<\/p>\n
An African Union Commission (AUC) Panel of the Wise delegation is scheduled to arrive in Juba today to mediate escalating tensions in the country.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n The Panel, a conflict prevention body composed of senior African statesmen, will seek to address concerns that threaten the implementation of the 2018 Revitalized Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in the Republic of South Sudan (R-ARCSS).<\/p>\n The delegation’s visit follows growing international concern over the restrictions placed on Dr. Machar’s movements, with many fearing it could destabilize the fragile peace process.<\/p>\n A statement released by the AU office in South Sudan on Monday confirmed the Panel’s coming.<\/p>\n \u201cThe AU mission in South Sudan (AUMISS) wishes to extend its compliments to the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) and the office of the Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General (SRSG) in the Republic of South Sudan, and has the honor to inform about the visit of the AU Panel of the Wise to the Republic of South Sudan from April 2 to April 6,\u201d the statement partially read.<\/p>\n The Panel is expected to meet with President Salva Kiir and other Vice Presidents as part of their efforts to find necessary avenues for de-escalating ongoing tensions in some parts of the country.<\/p>\n \u201cWhile in the country, the Panel will meet with President Salva Kiir, the President of the Republic of South Sudan, and engage with key stakeholders, including the Vice Presidency,\u201d the statement read.<\/p>\n The Panel will discuss several critical matters regarding the peace agreement, such as the implementation of pending tasks outlined in the 2018 peace accord.<\/p>\n AU\u2019s Panel of the Wise visit to Juba comes after AU Commission Chairperson Mahmoud Ali Youssouf announced a direct discussion with President Salva Kiir.<\/p>\n In a statement from Addis Ababa on Monday, Youssouf expressed \u201csolidarity with the Government and people of South Sudan,\u201d reaffirming the African Union\u2019s \u201cunwavering commitment to dialogue, reconciliation, and lasting peace.\u201d In a letter addressed to UN Secretary-General Ant\u00f3nio Guterres, Machar pointed out that the deteriorating security situation in South Sudan requires intervention.<\/p>\n \u201cThe R-ARCSS faces serious challenges. We fear that, based on our past, these challenges, including the Ugandan intervention, may lead to a collapse of the agreement. We therefore urge the AUPSC, IGAD, and UNSC to intervene,\u201d the letter reads in part.<\/p>\n Dr. Machar also questioned the legitimacy of the Uganda People\u2019s Defense Forces (UPDF) already deployed in South Sudan, citing it as a violation of the peace agreement and the UN Security Council resolution. Dr. Machar expressed his commitment to ensure that the challenges to the 2018 peace agreement are addressed.<\/p>\n \u201cThe SPLM-IO also reiterates its commitment to peace and peaceful resolutions of all the challenges hindering the country, including the R-ARCSS,\u201d he stated in a letter.<\/p>\n The 2018 peace agreement, intended to end years of civil war, has faced numerous challenges, including delays in key provisions and persistent political disagreements.<\/p>\n Current challenges to the 2018 peace agreement include confrontations between armed parties to the agreement, lack of consultations between parties, among other issues.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" By Yiep Joseph An African Union Commission (AUC) Panel of the Wise delegation is scheduled to arrive in Juba today to mediate escalating tensions in the country. The Panel, a conflict prevention body composed of senior African statesmen, will seek to address concerns that threaten the implementation of the 2018[Read More…]<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[80,79],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-34483","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-national","category-news"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.onecitizendaily.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34483","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.onecitizendaily.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.onecitizendaily.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.onecitizendaily.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.onecitizendaily.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=34483"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.onecitizendaily.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34483\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":34486,"href":"https:\/\/www.onecitizendaily.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34483\/revisions\/34486"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.onecitizendaily.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=34483"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.onecitizendaily.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=34483"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.onecitizendaily.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=34483"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\nMr. Youssouf warned that the current crisis risks undermining years of regional peace efforts, urging all parties to comply with the R-ARCSS.
\n\u201cThe AU calls on all parties to uphold all the provisions of the R-ARCSS and ensure its full implementation,\u201d he said.
\nRecently, First Vice President (FVP) Dr. Riek Machar called on the international community to intervene as the 2018 peace agreement faces challenges.<\/p>\n