This archive report was first published on 6 June 2020.
Published on June 6, 2020, the Covid-19 pandemic has cast a shadow over the peace-building efforts in South Sudan. The regional body that midwifed the South Sudan peace, the Inter-governmental Authority on Development (Igad), has warned that the pandemic could impact negatively on the implementation of the 2018 agreement.
Dr Ismail Wais, the Igad Special Envoy for South Sudan, expressed concerns that the spread of the virus has restricted the mobility of mediators, who rely on face-to-face meetings to build trust. He noted that the restrictions imposed for Covid-19 do not portend well for the implementation, as there is a real danger of lack of participation by the mediators, officials, and parties.
Dr Wais also highlighted the challenges faced by the Ceasefire and Transitional Security Arrangements Monitoring and Verification Mechanism (CTSAMVM) in monitoring and verifying reports of violations of the permanent ceasefire and transitional security arrangements. He observed that with unification and deployment of forces delayed and most of the forces confined in cantonment and training sites, and with Covid-19 related movement restrictions, errant armed groups are likely to be emboldened and continue posing security threats.
South Sudan, with limited healthcare facilities and personnel, has recorded over 1,317 cases of Covid-19. Experts suspect that the actual number could be more than double, given the country's lack of sufficient testing kits. Moreover, a number of cabinet ministers in the transitional government who were supposed to spearhead the implementation of the peace agreement have tested positive for Covid-19, including three out of the five vice-presidents.
Dr Wais warned that the pandemic is diverting the meagre funding available for the implementation of the September 2018 Revitalised Peace Agreement, and is hitting the poorest hard. He noted that the pandemic is threatening the well-being and lives of the forces assembled in cantonment and training sites, and is further diminishing the State's ability to establish presence and control over its territory and citizens.
