January 15, 2014 (SSNA) — We, concerned citizens of South Sudan, drawn from civil society, churches, academia, think tanks and national NGOs, hereby agree to the following statement:
The violence has brought into question the legitimacy of current institutions of governance in South Sudan and has undermined any claims that the parties to the conflict have to being the custodians of the people’s interest.
There is no military solution.
The failure of key institutions, including the executive, legislature, judiciary and army, has contributed to the crisis.
Since 2005, fundamental issues of governance and civil rights have been neglected. These include the national constitution, elections, freedom of expression, accountability, justice, reconciliation and security sector reform.
We therefore resolve that:
In recognition of the above findings and resolutions, we the Citizens for Peace and Justice commit ourselves to extending and continuing the dialogue with our fellow South Sudanese in the pursuit of a peaceful and just resolution to the conflict in our country.
SIGNED:
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David K. Deng, Esq.
Director, Research Department
South Sudan Law Society (SSLS)