


South Sudan: National Dialogue Leadership, Steering Committee & Secretariat – The Communique of the Faith-Based Institutions Conference (19.11.2019)







The head of UNMISS urged parties to accelerate efforts to implement the peace agreement and detailed areas that he believes needs to be urgently progressed.
JUBA, South Sudan, November 22, 2019 – In Pibor, thousands of people watched as their homes were destroyed and crops washed away by heavy rains over the past few weeks.
Residents of this community in the Jonglei region of South Sudan are among 900,000 people affected by widespread destruction caused by flooding. An emergency humanitarian response is underway, but the devastation has exacerbated already immense human suffering caused by the five-year long civil war.
The Special Representative of the Secretary-General David Shearer highlighted the plight of those affected by the downpours. At the press conference in Juba, he also thanked donors for contributing millions of dollars to the aid effort.
However, he noted that, while the water will subside, real relief for the people of South Sudan will only come when durable peace is achieved.
A peace deal was signed in September 2018. The ceasefire brought a welcome reprieve from the political violence that has plagued the country since 2013. However, implementation of the agreement has been slow and, earlier this month, parties delayed the formation of a transitional government for a further 100 days, on top of a previous six-month extension.
“The extension has eased some anxiety – at least temporarily – because the ceasefire will be preserved, and the implementation of the agreement can continue,” said David Shearer. “But, at a grassroots level, some people are expressing disappointment, and even anger at the further delay. They told us that they are frustrated by what they see as a failure to unite the country despite the promises made and they are beginning to feel disillusioned.”
The head of UNMISS urged parties to accelerate efforts to implement the peace agreement and detailed areas that he believes needs to be urgently progressed.
“First, and most importantly, the key ingredient that is needed is political will. If the parties want to fully implement the agreement and form a transitional government, they can, if that will exists,” he said. “Second, on the reunification of forces, we need a substantial amount of progress to give all parties trust and confidence coming into a transitional government. The progress made will be a measure of the parties’ commitment to peace.”
Other issues highlighted by the Special Representative are the need for negotiation and political settlement of the number of states and their boundaries, and for steps to be taken to resolve the status of Opposition Leader Dr. Riek Machar, so that he can travel freely to Juba for peace talks.
The matter of resources needed to implement the agreement is also a major talking point among South Sudanese.
“We hear different figures from different sources about how much funding has been released,” said David Shearer. “Transparency is urgently needed…Essentially we believe a trust fund or something similar with independent oversight is needed.”
Such a mechanism would enable accountability and provide reassurance that supplies purchased are reaching cantonment sites. This is important because troops from the various armed forces are gathering at sites across the country, but a lack of food and medicine at some locations is giving them no choice but to leave and find somewhere else where their basic needs are met.
Mr. Shearer highlighted the critical role of the guarantors, Uganda and Sudan, in continuing to show strong leadership in keeping the parties on task.
He said the formation of a transitional government is important because it signals the beginning of preparations for elections.
“Elections provide the opportunity to resolve differences through democratic rather than violent means. They give citizens the right to select their own leaders and hold them to account,” said David Shearer. “That will, however, require political space – the freedom for parties to campaign, organize and, even, criticize. That environment does not yet exist.”
He added that there is a palpable desire for peace in communities across the country. People’s expectations are high because they want the opportunity to rebuild their lives and enjoy the prosperous future that they fought so hard for when they won independence eight years ago.
“Those expectations must be met in 2020,” he said. “The clock is ticking.”



Hon. Paul Mwiru, the MP whose behind the motion: “MOTION TOR A RESOLUTION OF PARLIAMENT TO INQUIRE INTO THE RECENT REPORTED MISCONDUCT OF THE UGANDA PEOPLE’S DEFENCE FORCES DURING DEPLOYMENT IN CIVIL MATTERS”, which was in the plenary on the 21st November 2019.
This motion is important, also for the matter that its seconded by Christopher Kalemba, Anthony Okello and Noah Wanzala Mutebi. All four of them, these MPs are acting on their right instinct on the matter of the Uganda People’s Defence Force (UPDF), the army. The army isn’t supposed to be involved directly in civil manners, but of late and recent years, the UPDF have done more and more state functions. They are entangled in things where the army got nothing with it. That’s why the Motion moved by Hon. Mwiru is the good one.
Not because the motion is perfect. Not because the motion has the answers nor the results we want to hear. No, it is the right one, because the UPDF and the NRM needs to be challenged on this. The President who likes to be the general and warrior. Got to be questioned for the involvement of the UPDF in other things, than defending the border and securing the territory of the Republic.
The piece that is good from the motion is this:
“FURTHER AWARE that in the recent post there hos been increased intervention of UPDF in civil matters notably regulation of the fishing industry and quelling protests by students of Makerere University, NOTING THAT gross violations of human and people rights have reportedly marred the intervention of the UPDF in civil matters, which ordinarily should be a preserve of the Uganda Police Force as commended by Article 212 of the Constitution of the Republic of Uganda” (Motion, 21.11.2019).
The final important piece of the motion is this:
“AND FURTHER COGNIZANT of the importance of duly holding public officials and institutions to account for their actions and inactions as on integral canon of good governance and a possible deterrent from repetitive transgressions, Now THEREFORE it be resolved by this August House that; Parliament institutes a Select Committee to inquire. Within 45 days of approval of this Motion, into the reported violations of human and people rights by the UPDF with a view of establishing and apportioning culpability” (Motion, 21.11.2019).
This is why this motion is good. Because, it asks the Select Committee to inquire and directly investigate into the matters. This is to reveal and gain documentation on the matters, where the army has been used in civilian matters, which is wrong. Where the army has intervened and used force against civilians. That’s why this sort of motion will show who did what and who has to answer for what they did. Who did the ordering and who actually was behind the mess of misusing the army to settle civilian problems. Instead of going the proper ways or going the whole due process.
The legality of it, the challenge with the law and the constitution is another matter too. Which makes this even a bigger question, as to where it might be fitting to solve the resolving issues after collecting the report from the authorities, the Ministry of Security, the Ministry of Defence and the other ones. Where they do have the documents and the paper-trail to prove the acts, which has been made. The ones whose secret, the ones whose confidential and the ones the army and neither the “high above” wants the Republic to see.
Therefore, this motion is needed. What it grants is important. It will not reveal everything, but if a select committee gets to work, gets into discovery and get to collect data. They might discover something unseen and show us the whole picture. Instead of the little fragments we have today. Peace.

“President Museveni has directed the police leadership to deploy 20 policemen per sub-county and facilitate them with two motorcycles for patrol and easy mobility. This as he castigated the Uganda Police Force for sticking to the conventional methods of policing amidst dynamic modern crime trends. This as he closed the 25th police council meeting at police headquarters in Naguru” (NBS Television, 19.11.2019).
Before we look into the new directive of President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni, we can by the statistics of the Electoral Commission in 2016, estimate that there is 1403 sub-counties, as there is 112 official districts by 2016 alone. There been since then more created and awaiting more before the 2021 general elections.
By this its 1403 times 20 police officers, the grand total of 28,060 police officers. Which should be trained, stationed and paid for. By 2015 statistics there is already, all in all 44,897 police officers. That means half of them will go to sub-county level. Also, in 2015 there was a total of 1399 police posts all across the republic, which there is a lack of enough stations for all the ones whose suddenly deployed elsewhere. As well, as by the 44,897 officers only about 7,000 had supported housing. The Police Force is already underpaid and understaffed for the amount of work it has. With the new directive, the Police Force needs more police posts and more accommodations.
If we follow the Electoral Commission of 2018, then the numbers of districts are 122 and the amount of sub-counties is 1671. By the measure of police officers is then 33,420 who has to be deployed sub-county level. With that in mind, the numbers are even worse. We can imagine the even more lack of housing and police posts for them to be in. Not to think about the movement of them all. Not to imagine all them who are in special units, special training and whatnot. As there are detectives and whatnot in the police force. Not like these wants to end in Kagadi, Serere or in Lira.
With the knowledge of deploying 20 per post, which exists now, there is only capacity of 27,980. That’s with the knowledge of the 1399 posts, which exists now. But the ability to build more, must be a priority and also station it sufficiently across the sub-counties. If this policy should make any sense.
Unless, this is a political gamble and a election ploy to gain rural voters. Because, this is not only to combat crime, but show the needed amount of force. From the same presidency, that already lack the funding to pay Local Defence Units (LDUs). The same one that didn’t do enough for the Crime Preventers in the previous election cycle. This is a continuation of that.
With that in mind, I have to quote Finance Minister Matia Kasaija:
“We have discovered that many politicians simply agitate for the creation of new administrative units for creations of jobs. We already have 300 new sub-counties and 200 town councils, to get money for them to operate is a big problem” (Wilson Manishimwe – ‘Gov’t stuck with 300 newly created sub-counties’ 18.09.2019).
Seems like the President is busy creating jobs, but not having money to operate them. There are enough things that lacks funding and with this, is yet another government post, which lacks fiscal funding. Unless, the State House breaks the bank and use less on travel expenditure or payments of salaries for any of the Presidential Advisors. The Police Force might have some added funding. I am just smirking, but we know the gist.
The President is acting all out, doing quick-fix orders, ad-hoc without any thought of the budget nor implementation. It is just a snap of a finger and then suddenly things start to move. Peace.









“The LDU is not a new force; they are the reserve of the army. The security guards of the ministries are guarding ministries against break-ins. Terrorists are targeting soft targets, they are not bank robbers” (Yoweri Kaguta Museveni, 15.09.2018).
We already knew in January 2019 that there was no money for the Local Defence Units (LDUs) in the budget year of 2018/19 and certainly not there in the 2019/20. Since today’s news proves this again. This is a re-issue of Crime Preventers Programme and a way to hire idle youth, but not do the due diligence of the actual needs to do it. That’s why the results is armed people with lack of pay, they will do anything to eat.
Look:
The Ministry of Defence has incurred a budgetary shortfall of 130.5 billion shillings as a result of the recruitment of LDU’s. This includes a wage shortfall of 40.9 billion for the 23000 LDU’s incurred in 2018/2019 and 2019/2020 financial years(Herbert Zziwa, 12.11.2019).
What does it mean:
This means, when they have an annual wage of Shs.2.4mn. Their wage shortfall, which was 14.9bn in 2018/19 means that 6,208 LDUs out of 10,919 are owed wages. Again, in 2019/20, 10,833 LDUs out of 13,000 recruited in 2019/20 don’t have their wages either. Meaning many armed and well-trained personnel from the UPDF is out awaiting their salaries (Mary Serumaga, 12.11.2019).
We can see by these calculations how it really is. The realities on the ground and the issues at hand. This is a launch to have back-up personnel for an up-coming election. To ensure the public, that they cannot have a popular uprising nor a revolution. Because, the state has enough armed forces to crush it. If it isn’t soldiers, ISO, CMI, Flying Squad, Special Forces Command or the UPDF. They will have something to target you with.
But, they are leaving them high and dry. The State is not properly approaching this. They are not spending the dimes on this as people would see deemed fit. Because, this is trained armed personnel, which can cause havoc, if they decided to do so. Why shouldn’t they? They got guns and knows how to aim!
This was a bad Ad-Hoc decision made in the wake of the violence: But he also did it to ensure up-coming elections, because that is what the President does. President Museveni doesn’t toy around with this. This is carefully estimated to secure his next term and the times ahead. Because, with these gentlemen with arms, he will have another group of armed personnel at his disposal, that can skirmish and get deployed in haste. There is nothing else too it.
His just misusing funds and the trust of people, in manners, which is extraordinary. However, very common here. As this isn’t the first nor the last time, the government lack funds for new projects, new ad-hoc decisions. As it is struggling to pay of gardening hoes from pledges made in 2015. Therefore, don’t expect magic, just more of the same. Peace.

The Secretary-General also urges the Government of South Sudan to support the process by releasing the pledged amount of $100 million.
The Secretary-General urges the parties to use this extension to make further progress on critical benchmarks, including security arrangements and the number and boundaries of states, to allow for the formation of an inclusive transitional government of national unity. The Secretary-General also urges the Government of South Sudan to support the process by releasing the pledged amount of $100 million through a transparent and accountable mechanism.
As IGAD has underscored, face-to-face meetings of the leadership of the parties will continue to be crucial in maintaining momentum. The Secretary-General reaffirms the critical importance of the role of IGAD and the African Union in the political process, and the continued readiness of the United Nations to support their efforts.