New "headwinds" could threaten South Sudan's fragile peace accord: UN official

Two children carry water in Leer, Unity State in South Sudan, parts of which have been declared as famine-affected (OCHA)

UNITED NATIONS, Dec. 15 (Xinhua) -- Following years of brutal civil war, new "headwinds" could threaten the fragile peace accord in South Sudan, Nicholas Haysom, UN Special Representative to the country, said in a warning issued on Wednesday.

"I call on the parties to muster a renewed sense of political will and build trust, to avoid a state of paralysis, and, in a worst-case scenario, a collapse of the peace agreement," Haysom stressed.

In 2018, President Salva Kiir and his former deputy Riek Machar signed the Revitalized Peace Agreement in hopes of ending domestic conflict and instability.

However, the representative warned the Security Council that steps taken so far in implementing the agreement are "not sufficient if the peace process is to be sustained."

One of the challenges is the establishment of the Necessary Unified Forces, which, in Haysom's words, was "an initial step in a complex but essential process of constructing a national army." More progress was expected to put transitional security arrangements into effect.

For the special envoy, the 2023 South Sudan general elections were another concern that will likely prove "a dramatic challenge" in the transition next year. Haysom was "deeply concerned" at the restrictions on civic space.

He said the slow functioning of parliament could cause a "logjam" on critical bills to facilitate constitution making, election preparations, setting up the justice system, and adopting the national budget.

Haysom told council members that civilians in South Sudan are still bearing the brunt of conflict, "thereby perpetuating cycles of trauma and revenge that undermine the prospects for longer-term reconciliation and societal healing."

Data from the UN showed the 2021 South Sudan Humanitarian Response Plan is funded at about 68 percent, but many sectors such as health, nutrition and protection are severely underfunded.

Also on Wednesday, stakeholders involved in transitional justice in the country adopted a joint strategy and action plan to implement the 2018 Revitalized Peace Agreement. Enditem