Ambassador Christopher Trott. Photo: Gov.uk/The New Times
Juba, October 8, 2019 (SSNA) — The United Kingdom has called on South Sudan’s rival parties to speed up the implementation of the September 2018 peace agreement.
In an exclusive interview with the Voice of America’s South Sudan in Focus, ambassador Christopher Trott explained that all parties to the deal need to speed up the execution of the pact, saying the parties should create a unified army and resolve the issue of the number of states including other key provisions before a transitional government is formed.
“While we recognized absolutely a significant amount of progress has been achieved since the signing of the agreement… we have still not yet seen the creation of a national unified army, even a small number of troops,” ambassador Trott said.
“We are still waiting for a discussion to take place around the number of states during the transitional period,” he added.
The ambassador stated that the government and opposition parties need to implement security arrangements before the formation of a provisional government is formed next month. Trott also said he is concern over “slow progress” the parties have made.
Ambassador Trott was appointed as an ambassador to South Sudan in July. He previously served as UK special envoy to South Sudan and Sudan.