IGAD Revitilisation Forum for South Sudan Registers Some Progress

19-05-2018, Addis Ababa (Ethiopia): The ongoing Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD)-led High Level Revitalisation Forum (HLRF), for the implementation of the Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in South Sudan (ARCSS) signed in August 2015, has entered its third day in Addis Ababa.

On top of the plenary sessions where all stakeholders to the crisis as well as Facilitators and observers are in attendance, the ongoing Continued Phase II of the HRLF includes inter-South Sudanese consultations during which parties discuss outstanding issues on Governance and on Security Arrangements.

These consultations are conducted in two separate and inclusive working groups along Governance and Security Arrangements issues that have been outstanding since the last HLRF session of February 2018.

These inter-South Sudanese consultations that are being led by the South Sudan Council of Churches were set up upon request from the parties. These South Sudanese led consultations enhance the level of national ownership of the process.

Progress made by the parties during these separate working and negotiations groups is reported to the Leadership Group which is comprised of all parties and stakeholders leaders for further discussions and finalisation before going to the plenary.

The South Sudan Council of Churches (SSCC) in its statement at the plenary session of this afternoon on the progress made so far declared: “Some progress has been made and the spirit is positive, even as the committee members begin tackling issues. The parties have committed to silence the guns while the process and momentum are maintained”.

Furthermore, the South Sudan Council of Churches appealed to “all parties to avoid Negative Statements and to strictly abide by the Agreement on Cessation of Hostilities, Protection of Civilians and Humanitarian Access”.

                                                        

The SSCC expressed the need for the group works on Governance and on Security Arrangements to keep on proceeding, and alluded to the possibility of wanting to extend the HLRF beyond the 21^st if need arose.