CEPO Press Release on 7th July 2019 ahead of President Speech on independence day.

H.E. PRESIDENT SPEECH OF 8^TH INDEPENDENCE DAY

Juba 7^th July 2019. South Sudan will be marking its 8^th Independence Day on the 9^th July, 2019. Community Empowerment for Progress Organization wish all South Sudanese and public officials happy Independence Day. It is moment of remembering our joint struggle to have our nation. Based on this, having peaceful and stability South Sudan was the primary objective of our struggle for independence from the rest of Sudan. Building peaceful and stability society of South Sudan is a process that cannot avoid challenges such as the recent mid-December 2013 political crises. Matured political elites who are peace-mind usually do avoid violent political transformation in their respective society because violence hurts all. Following the signing of the Revitalized Agreement on the Resolution of Conflict in South Sudan dated 12^th September 2018 in Ethiopia-Addis Ababa, the South Sudan parties to the signed peace agreement are slow in implementing the peace deal due to numerous reasons. Among the key reasons are funds for implementation of the peace deal. Community Empowerment for Progress Organization would like to take this opportunity to advocate for H.E. President during his Independence Day speech to address the following concerns;

1. The call for regular face-to-face meeting of the top leadership of the parties to the R-ARCSS as a strategy of building trust and confidence and political avenue for influencing subordinates for speedy implementation of the pre-transitional period pending tasks. Since the pending tasks are the pre-condition for the formation of the Revitalized Transitional Government of National Unity on the 12^th November 2019
2. The status of the remittance of the funds declared per the parties’ 2^nd-3^rd May 2019 resolutions
3. The move for accelerating economic reforms following the positive development of suspending oil pre-sale, forming investigations on the past oil pre-sale transactions management. Assigning Central Bank to administer the transfer of 30,000 crude oil barrels to China-Export Bank for the construction of roads. Public interest is for the investigation outcomes to be declare public
4. Actualization of the peace parties partners VIP protection unit formation, status of cantonment of forces; reconstitution of DDR process, training of necessary unified army and their deployment prior 12^th November 2019 
5. Preventive approach for the on-going communal violence across several communities of South Sudan. The communal violence is claiming over 12,000 lives and public property worth to millions of South Sudanese pounds.  This is on-going loss of human lives and properties. What is practical way forward? Since it seems political elites are behind some of these communal violence
6. Presence of road blocks in some location across the country which are offering some challenges to humanitarian actors including negative behaviors from some public officials and members of law enforcement and security on humanitarian society across the country 
7. Protection of civic freedoms across the country. Since Public officials and members of our law and security agencies are receiving salaries regularly for proving standard living for their families
8. Operationalization on some government declared commitments such as actualization of Kampala convention, Maputo Protocol and other ratified international human rights treaties
9. Management of citizens reactions once Independent Boundary Commission (IBC) release their findings on the issue of the number of State and reconstitution of Council of States

Mr. Edmund Yakani Executive Director of CEPO say the public have high expectations on H.E. President Speech 8^th Independence Day speech. The expectations are mainly around the implementation of the signed peace agreement since the extended six months of the pre-transitional period is approaching to an end and still much pending tasks were not delivered. Further, the public officials are ague to hear information about their salaries overdue while parliamentarians are much waiting to hear about the recent friction in the parliament over the national budget passage and the threat of parliamentarians not to express their opinion without approval of the Rt. Hon. Speaker. As culture of forgiveness and reconciliation CEPO urging H.E. President to pardon some prisoners and possibly including Peter Biar Karbino Wol as assign of stoning national reconciliation among the South Sudanese.

Finally, CEPO is urging the citizens at their various capacities to mark the 8^th Independence Day with strong commitment for peaceful and non-violent settlement of disputes. Our political elites should have the culture of standing for peaceful and violent political transformation of governance.