JUBA – South Sudan President Salva Kiir Mayardit and First Vice President Riek Machar will meet Wednesday to discuss the extension of the transitional period to February 2027. The decision follows recommendations from a high-level committee tasked with evaluating the revitalized peace agreement’s progress. The committee has proposed a 24-month extension starting February 2024 to ensure full implementation of the agreement, according to officials who spoke to Sudans Post in early July.
South Sudan’s Cabinet Minister Martin Elia Lomuro confirmed the upcoming meeting during a Thursday session of the Reconstituted Joint Monitoring and Evaluation Commission (R-JMEC). The meeting, originally scheduled earlier, will also cover the recent Nairobi peace talks, known as the Tumaini Initiative, led by Kenya at the request of President Kiir.
Lomuro described the meeting as crucial for determining the country’s political future and the implementation of the revitalized peace agreement. “The results of those discussions will provide a sense of political direction as to how the country should continue from there on,” Lomuro said, noting that the details would remain confidential until the meeting concludes.
He also criticized the Tumaini Initiative, expressing concerns over its deviations from the R-ARCISS protocols, especially the proposed establishment of a National Leadership Council (NLC) and a security sector reform oversight commission, both of which he argued could destabilize the country’s governance system.
