Addis Ababa, 21 October 2015: The Chairperson of the Commission of the African Union (AU), Dr. Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, welcomes the appointment, by the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), of former President Festus Gontebanye Mogae of Botswana as the Chairperson of the Joint Monitoring and Evaluation Commission (JMEC). As stipulated in the Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in South Sudan signed by the South Sudanese parties in August 2015, the JMEC shall be responsible for monitoring and overseeing the implementation of the Agreement and the mandate and tasks of the Transitional Government of National Unity (TGoNU), including the adherence of the Parties to the agreed timelines and implementation schedule.

The Chairperson of the Commission stresses that former President Mogae's leadership and vast experience will go a long way in facilitating the implementation of the Agreement. She pledges the AU's full support to the Chairperson of the JMEC in the discharge of his mandate, and urges the South Sudanese stakeholders to extend full cooperation to him.

The Chairperson of the Commission reiterates the AU's commitment, both through the High-Level ad hoc Committee on South Sudan and the High Representative for South Sudan, former President Alpha Oumar Konaré, to do all it can to contribute to the successful conclusion of the ongoing peace process, including through the effective implementation and follow-up of the communiqué on the report of the AU Commission of Inquiry on South Sudan (AUCISS), adopted by the AU Peace and Security Council (PSC) at its meeting held in New York on 26 September 2015. In this respect, and in pursuance of the relevant PSC decisions, the Commission will convene, in Addis Ababa, on 2 November 2015, a workshop to identify the practical steps to be taken by the AU in support of the Agreement. The members of the ad hoc Committee, the High Representative, IGAD and members of the IGAD-Plus Mechanism will take part in the workshop.

 

 

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