December 7, 2023 (JUBA) – The community, military, government, civil society and the UN have come together to develop an action plan to improve civilian and military relations in Greater Yei.
The plan, scheduled to be implemented with specific deadlines, was developed through a high-level workshop organized by Community Empowerment for Progress Organization (CEPO) and United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) supported by International Organization for Migration (IOM) under the phase one programming of UN Multi Partner Trust Fund for Reconciliation, Stabilization and Resilience in South Sudan (RSRTF) in Central Equatoria State.
63 participants, including community representatives, paramount chiefs, religious leaders, women and youth leaders, high-level defense forces, and high-level government officials- notably the Ministry of Defense Deputy Chief of Staff and representatives of the Central Equatoria Governor- played a pivotal role in developing the action plan and its endorsement by the involved parties.
“The honest implementation of the resolutions requires all the stakeholders to play their roles in ensuring a reconciled, resilient, and stabilized Southern CES and indeed a peaceful South Sudan”. CEPO’s Executive Director, Edmund Yakani said.
He added, “I appeal to you to exert efforts to develop an action plan so that the resolutions are fully implemented responsibly for the realization of peace, security and development in the former breadbasket”.
A key agreement from this plan, scheduled for implementation within the next six months, is the removal of illegal checkpoints in Greater Yei. “Commitment from the Government to this action plan is a pivotal outcome for Greater Yei and we are enthusiastic to see the key high-level stakeholders taking ownership of the community-led peace initiatives to ensure better relationships between civilians and military. This action plan follow-up will be key to reducing violence and improving the stability in Central Equatoria”, said John McCue, IOM South Sudan Chief of Mission.
The workshop was originally organized to present the resolutions from ten civil-military dialogues held at the four counties of Greater Yei, under the phase one of RSRTF programming, which identified key issues, including mistrust and misunderstandings among civilians and the army: harassment, intimidation, raping, killing, displacement and looting of properties, checkpoints and roadblocks, that were hampering civil life and development of the areas.
These resolutions, a statement extended to Sudan Tribune noted, were used to create this action plan.
“We are very happy with this progress, and it is a testament that the people of South Sudan want and believe in peace,” Shamira Haider, the manager of RSRTF, said.
“We believe the plan, which is the outcome of a grounds-up approach, would be effective in bringing peace and reconciliation so that the communities and government can focus on solidifying their progress,” she added.
The action points should improve relations between the military and civilians, swift unification, training and deployment of the unified forces; contribute to the separation of politics from military and demilitarization of politics; support the adherence to the welfare of the military (food, salary and medication); enforce the Governor’s order for removal of illegal checkpoints; ensure the comprehensive disarmament of the civil population; encourage continuous civil-military dialogues in the grassroots and quarterly dialogues at national level; expand military court martial to the counties; provide psycho-social support and trauma healing for both civilians and military; establish police stations and deploy of sufficient and effective police forces at the county levels; initiate home grown solutions to address the conflict between the National Salvation Front (NAS) and the government; and promote adult literacy education.
“None of this would have been possible without the support of our international, local and UN partners, including contributing partners like Canada, European Union, Germany, Netherlands, Norway, Sweden and Switzerland,” stressed Haider.
Meanwhile, as part of capacity building and exit strategy of phase two of the project, the consortium partners will work with the government to ensure these resolutions are implemented.
Phase one of the RSRTF programme in Central Equatoria was led by IOM and its consortium including CEPO, UNMISS, Finn Church Aid (FCA), Whitaker Development Initiative (WPDI) and Support for Peace and Education Development Programme (SPEDP).
The RSRFT project was designed to support communities and returnees in Yei, Lainya, Morobo and Kajo-Keji counties reconcile, reduce violence, and bring stability where they live and create new incentives for peaceful coexistence. - Sudan Tribune
(ST)
