The South Sudan government has today said it has left behind a limited force in the national capital, Juba, allegedly to provide security in the capital until when a joint force with opposition faction is deployed.

In accordance with the August 2015 peace agreement signed between South Sudan’s President Salva Kiir and Riek Machar, leader of the armed opposition faction of the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM-IO), government forces should withdraw from Juba to 25kms away. A joint police and military force of more than eight thousand would be deployed in the capital to provide security.

However, units of forces from the SPLM-IO have not yet arrived in Juba, forcing the government not to withdraw all its forces from the capital, according to Michael Makuei Lueth, the minister of information.

“The government is fully committed to demilitarizing Juba in accordance with the security arrangement. This process has already started with redeployment of the forces, including some forces from presidential guards force division,” Lueth told reporters in Juba on Tuesday.

“The redeployment process would have been completed long time ago if the SPLM-IO forces had come and become part of the joint force; but the coming of SPLM-IO forces is slow,” he added.

Lueth further explained that due to the delay in arrival of the SPLM-IO forces to Juba, it was necessary to leave behind an unspecified number of troops in the capital.

He asserted that “Security in Juba is paramount not only to a political agreement, but also to ensuring that there is no repeat of the fighting in the capital” that sparked the conflict which consumed the country for more than two years.

He also attributed the delay for the coming of the opposition forces to logistical and political obstacles, raising fears it could possibly lead to the delay of the planned return of the opposition leader, Machar.

Observers say the return to Juba of troops from the SPLM-IO is a key step in the implementation of the peace agreement, particularly the formation of a transitional government of national unity.

The government and SPLM-IO reached an agreement that the armed opposition faction would send to Juba 1,370 armed military personnel in preparation for the return to Juba of Machar, while the rest of over 1,500 would come later by river. But it is unlikely the troops will beat the 1 March deadline.

Government officials and diplomats close to the implementation process say they are waiting for key information from the opposition faction for them to assemble their forces.

Armed opposition officials say neither the government nor the Joint Monitoring and Evaluation Commission (JMEC) has availed shelter, food, water and health care for the soon to arrive forces, causing the delay in their arrival.

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Dar-es-Salaam is to host the 9^th Inter-Parliamentary Relations Seminar (Nanyuki Series), scheduled for March 3 -4, 2016, to be officiated at by Tanzanian Vice President Samia Suluhu Hassan, representing Tanzanian President Dr John Pombe Magufuli.

The Seminar organized by EALA in conjunction with the Association of European Parliamentarians with Africa (AWEPA), is themed: ‘Compliance with African Union and Sub-Regional Blocs’ Election Benchmarks: A Case of the East African Community’, and will bring together an estimated 250 participants drawn from EALA, National Parliaments of the Partner States’ and EAC Ambassadors. Also expected to attend are representatives of the National Electoral Commissions, the Human Rights’ Commissions and the Civil Society Organizations.

The seminar is to be facilitated by high profile speakers from within and beyond the EAC region who will provide an opportunity for EALA and the National Assemblies to analyze and assess Partner States’ compliance with Africa, EAC sub-regional and Partner States’ national election benchmarks. Therein, the Seminar will showcase the relevance of Election Observation Missions in the contribution of strengthening Electoral Management processes in East Africa and delve into the role of Parliamentarians and the EAC in the prevention, management and resolutions of election related conflicts in the EAC region.

This seminar is taking place at a critical point in time when all EAC Partner States have either concluded, or are about to go through the electioneering period. On February 18^th, 2016, Republic of Uganda went to elections while the United Republic of Tanzania’s polls and those of the Republic of Burundi were held in October 2015 and May 2015 respectively.    On their part, Republic of Kenya and Republic of Rwanda are expected to go to elections next year.

The Inter-Parliamentary Relations Seminar thus shall act as a postmortem or checklist on whether all the EAC Partner States’ election did or do conform and or comply to the regional and sub-regional benchmarks in so far as fairness, credibility and transparency are concerned.

The Seminar shall revisit the three key concepts of democracy, elections and the rule of law and revisit the relationship among them. The Seminar it is hoped will enhance capacities of Parliamentarians to perform their core function in preventing electoral and related electoral conflicts is enhanced.

In addition, it is anticipated that Members of the National Assemblies will be provided with an opportunity to appreciate the progress made so far in the EAC integration process through the Election Observation Missions and therefore the issues discussed will subsequently find their way into the agenda of National Parliaments.

Conceived in 2003, the Inter-Parliamentary Relations Seminar (Nanyuki) is one of the avenues through which EALA and National Assemblies of the EAC Partner States interact as per the requirements of Article 49(2) of the Treaty for the establishment of the EAC.

The nature of the Nanyuki Seminars is rotational and is held in respective Partner States. Eight Seminars have so far been held under the title, “Nanyuki Series”, so named after the venue of the first one held in June 2004 under the theme “Roles and Mandate of EALA”.

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