By Yiep Joseph
Women Bloc, has urged President Salva Kiir and First Vice President Dr. Riek Machar to engage in dialogue to prevent the collapse of the 2018 peace agreement.
A group of women from across the country, expressed the need for President Kiir and Dr. Machar to communicate and instruct their forces nationwide to cease confrontations.
This call follows reports of clashes around capital Juba, and other parts of the country between the South Sudan People’s Defense Forces (SSPDF) and the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement/Army in Opposition (SPLA/M-IO).
These clashes are threatening the peace agreement.
Amer Manyok Deng, the Chairperson of the Women Bloc, on behalf of the women, urged the leaders to dialogue and prevent the peace agreement from failing.
“As we witness alarming signs, we appeal to the president and First Vice President to come together, sit down, and direct their forces to cease hostilities,” Amer stated.
“We are witnessing alarming signs indicating a potential collapse of the Revitalized Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in the Republic of South Sudan (R-ARCSS) 2018 and the associated roadmap,” she added.
She noted that in all confrontations, ordinary citizens, particularly women and children, continue to die and be displaced.
Amer urged the commanders of the forces to stop hostilities, emphasizing that war kills, displaces, and destroys.
She appealed to the signatories of the peace agreement to prioritize dialogue over violence, which destabilizes the country and disrupts people’s lives.
Recently, Ter Manyang Gatwech, Executive Director of the Center for Peace and Advocacy (CPA), called on President Salva Kiir and First Vice President Dr. Riek Machar to choose dialogue and engage in face-to-face discussions rather than resorting to military solutions.
“As a human rights activist, I urge President Salva Kiir and First Vice President Dr. Riek Machar to prioritize dialogue and engage in direct discussions rather than military responses. The relative peace we have in the country is better than nothing,” Manyang stated.
He emphasized that South Sudan cannot afford to return to full-scale war.
“Based on my interactions with friends from the international community in Africa and the Western world, South Sudan will be seen as a forgotten crisis if the leaders do not manage their internal affairs wisely.”
He highlighted that President Kiir and Machar have a direct responsibility to promote peace, drawing on their extensive experience with Sudanese issues and now South Sudanese challenges.
Ter urged the international community, the African Union, UNMISS, and other partners to intervene in the current situation.
“Some of us were born into war, attended school during the war, and got married amidst the conflict, and now our children are still experiencing war. This is not the country we desire. We want a nation where there is the rule of law, human rights, good governance, democracy, and enough food on the table for its citizens,” he stated.