ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia, November 4, 2015/APO (African Press Organization)/ —
As a follow up to the relevant decisions of the Peace and Security Council (PSC) of the African Union (AU), the Commission organized, yesterday 2 November 2015, in Addis Ababa, a workshop to help identify the practical steps to be taken by the AU in support of the Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in South Sudan. The workshop, which was chaired by the Commissioner for Peace and Security, Ambassador Smail Chergui, was attended by the members of the AU High-level ad hoc Committee on South Sudan (Algeria, Chad, Nigeria, Rwanda and South Africa), the AU High Representative for South Sudan, former President Alpha Oumar Konaré, the Head of the IGAD Team of Special Envoys, Ambassador Seyoum Mesfin, the Chairman of the Joint Monitoring and Evaluation Commission (JMEC), former President Festus Mogae of Botswana, as well as by members of the IGAD Plus Mechanism (Djibouti, Kenya, Somalia, Sudan, Uganda, the Troika – Norway, United Kingdom and United States of America, China, the European Union, the United Nations and Italy on behalf of the IGAD Partners Forum).
The participants to the workshop stressed the need for the effective and timely implementation of the Agreement, reminding the South Sudanese stakeholders of their obligations and primary responsibility in this respect. They welcomed the appointment of the Chairman of the JMEC, and called on all parties concerned to extend to him their full cooperation. The participants reiterated their commitment to closely work together in support of the peace process.
On the basis of the recommendations made during the workshop, the Commission will develop a programme of work that would facilitate an effective and well-coordinated AU wide support to the peace process in South Sudan.
