This archive report was first published on 10 July 2019.
With just four months to go before a new interim government is formed in South Sudan, an Africa Union taskforce has renewed its bid for direct talks between President Salva Kiir and his former vice president Riek Machar.
The taskforce, known as C5, says broad political engagement with the two leaders is urgently needed to kick-start direct talks, which is crucial in implementing the revitalised agreement.
According to a communique issued by the AU high-level Ad Hoc Committee for South Sudan on July 9, 2019, the formation of the transition government should not be postponed again, despite identifying a number of key tasks that had not been accomplished.
The C5 group, chaired by South Africa and comprising Algeria, Chad, Nigeria, and Rwanda, has appealed to the international community to provide the necessary guidance and accompaniment to ensure a peaceful outcome to the internal boundary-making process.
President Kiir's government has committed $100 million for operationalisation of the security arrangements, and the committee has appealed for timely disbursement, with the international community expected to supplement Juba's effort.
The security sector reforms include disarmament of rebel groups, demobilisation and reintegration of troops into society, governance, and rule of law.
