The Reconstituted Joint Monitoring and Evaluation Commission (RJMEC) Thursday called on the South Sudan government to reconstitute the state legislatures to enable them to perform their subnational duties.

RJMEC Interim Chairperson Maj. Gen. Charles Tai Gituai made the remarks during a meeting in Juba where he further raised concern about the delay in implementing the transitional security arrangements.

“A properly functioning government requires the full cooperation of the three branches of government, the executive, the legislative, and the judiciary, at both the national and subnational levels,” he said.

According to a statement, General Gituai further reiterated his call for the RTGoNU to reconstitute the National Audit Chamber and the Anti-Corruption Commission as per Articles 4.4 and 4.5 of the R-ARCSS at the national level, as envisaged in the 2018 peace deal. 

"While the RJMEC Chair noted that some progress has been made in the areas of governance, economics, transitional justice, and the permanent constitution-making process, a critical concern remains on the Transitional Security Arrangements (TSAs), especially the unification of forces, their redeployment and the DDR process," the statement reads in part.  

He appealed to the leadership of the Parties to urgently resolve the issue of the ratio of the unified forces and the unified command structure of the Necessary Unified Forces (NUF).

According to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA), there are 700,000 people affected by flooding in 27 counties across eight states since May 2021, with the worst affected States reported as being Jonglei, Unity, Northern Bahr el Ghazal, and Upper Nile.  

“Over two-thirds of the flood-affected counties are confronted with high levels of food insecurity, poor access to basic services, and face the threat of water-borne diseases,” said Gen. Gituai. “The scale of humanitarian need in South Sudan should focus our minds on the urgency of establishing the overdue Special Reconstruction Fund (SRF), which is clearly much needed. I urge the RTGoNU to work closely with international partners to establish the Board of the SRF without further delay.” 

Furthermore, General Gituai said, the safety of humanitarian workers remains a major concern and urged the concerned parties to ensure the protection and safety of aid workers and their assets. 

“I reiterate my concern that we are already behind the agreed timelines and the implementation schedule. According to the timelines of the Agreement, it is 16 months to the end of the Transitional Period. Despite all that has been achieved, a lot remains to be done," he concluded.