Petroleum Minister Puot Kang Chol. |Courtesy.

The high-level committee on the implementation of the 2018 peace agreement has completed reviewing the status of the road map, pending submission to the presidency.

Petroleum Minister Puot Kang Chol who is a member of the committee did not give details of the documents.

However, the SPLA-IO senior member says the committee comprising representatives from the peace parties drafted an explanatory note due to be submitted to the presidency on Wednesday.

“At the meeting of the high-level committee on the implementation of the agreement, we have completed the revision of the review of the status of the implementation of the road map, which was agreed upon by the parties in 2022.

‘We have concluded that today (Monday) successfully as parties to the agreement. We have all so drafted an explanatory note to the principal which will be submitted to the principal signatories to the agreement on Wednesday by this committee as they start the implementation of the road map.

Kang said the note includes the way forward for the peace principals to decide.

“We looked at the way forward as parties to the agreement, especially on what should be done next. We have looked at that and we will finalize that tomorrow (Wednesday) as parties again,” he said.

“We will also immediately together with the review submit to the principal where the final decision will come from.

“So, we are asking you to bear with us as we are coming closer to the end of this work that we have been doing for the last two months.”

Puot added that what has been considered in the review process saying: “We  marked as to what is completed what we have started, what we have not finished and what is not touched at all… this will give us the way forward.”

What prompted the review of the Road Map

Tension soared early this year after the SPLM Government announced elections would be held by the end of 2024 but the SPLM-In opposition was opposed to the idea, citing unimplemented key provisions of the agreement.

The SPLM-IO said there would be no elections without a population census, a permanent constitution, full implementation of the security arrangements and the return of South Sudanese refugees.

The Opposition group also cited a lack of political and civic space.

The disagreement prompted endless calls from some political parties,  civil society organizations and embassies of the Western countries on the need for dialogue to decide on how to end the transitional period.

In April, the parties resolve to conduct an inter-party dialogue.

Amidst the dialogue,  the SPLM-In Government went on to endorse President Salva Kiir as the party bearer to the slated polls.

Now that, the road map has been reviewed by the parties, it remains to be seen what path the principal will take -something the Western countries are closely monitoring.