Museveni urged to push for genuine peace implementation as he meet with Kiir in Kampala.

The Community Empowerment for Progress Organization (CEPO) has urged Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni, who is preparing to visit South Sudanese President Salva Kiir Mayardit on the margins of a regional meeting, to advocate for the full and true implementation of the renewed peace accord.

Kiir departed Juba on Thursday for Kampala, Uganda, where he is set to participate in the summit of East and Horn of Africa heads of state, where climate change and immigration concerns will be discussed.

Kiir is due to meet with President Museveni on the sidelines of the summit to discuss the road map produced by the parties to take the nation through the remaining responsibilities of the transitional phase leading up to elections.

In a statement, the CEPO expressed its delight that President Kiir would meet with the president of Uganda to discuss the peace process and emphasized that Uganda, together with Sudan, is one of the guarantors of the revived peace accord.

“CEPO is encouraged that President Kiir would meet with Uganda’s president to discuss the state of peace deal implementation on the margins of the climate change summit in Uganda. “Uganda is one of the R-guarantors, ARCSS’s despite the fact that its involvement was not as proactive in the past,” the CEPO said.

The advocacy organization encouraged the president of Uganda to “assist in encouraging the political authorities of South Sudan not to hurry into premature elections and not to extend the transitional period beyond 24 months.”

South Sudan demands an immediate shift from conflict to peace facilitated by proactive political will. It is time for the president of Uganda to agree with the inhabitants of South Sudan that the final opportunity to prolong the transitional term should not exceed 18 months from February 22, 2023.

Edmund Yakani, executive director of CEPO, said, “any rush to elections is dragging the nation back into conflict, particularly in light of the recent threatening violence in Mayom county of Unity state and the tensions among the Kitgwang factions of the SPLM-IO splinter party.”

The CEPO also urged “the leadership of Uganda and Sudan, as well as the members of the IGAD and AU ad hoc committee from Rwanda, South Africa, Nigeria, Chad, and Algeria, to press South Sudanese leaders to renew their political commitments to end the political crisis through the prompt and sincere implementation of R-ARCSS.

“It is reasonable for political leaders to create an atmosphere conducive to legitimate and peaceful elections within 18 months in order to recover trust and confidence in their capacity to work together for true peace and stability.”