South Sudan Allocates Funds for Security Arrangements as Transitional Government Struggles to Meet Peace Deal Obligations

The South Sudanese government has allocated SSP 90 billion for Phase Two of the transitional security arrangements, as detailed in Chapter Two of the Revitalized Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in South Sudan (R-ARCSS). The government and opposition forces are expected to canton and train unified forces during a three-year transitional period leading to elections.

As part of this effort, the South Sudanese government, through the National Transitional Committee (NTC), has approved SSP 3.6 billion for emergency food aid for the graduated unified forces in training centers and cantonment sites. The NTC’s budget has been sent to the Reconstituted Transitional National Legislative Assembly (R-TNLA) for deliberation.

Despite the funds allocated, transitional government forces continue to struggle to meet the obligations of the peace deal. The Interim Chairperson of the Revitalised Joint Monitoring and Evaluation Commission (R-JMEC), rtd. Maj. Gen. Charles Gituai, has noted that the overall implementation of the peace agreement is far behind roadmap timelines and that there is no sense of urgency from the parties involved.

Under the peace deal, South Sudan is expected to graduate 83,000 unified forces drawn from various parties to take charge of security during the ongoing transitional period. Meeting this target is essential to reduce violence and improve the safety of the people of South Sudan.

As such, while the allocation of funds for security arrangements is a welcome development, it remains critical for the government to accelerate the implementation of the peace deal. The South Sudanese government must prioritize the deployment of unified forces and institute disarmament, demobilization, and reintegration (DDR) programs in a timely manner to meet the obligations of the peace deal.