East African bloc approves new chair to monitor peace in South Sudan
Kenya's George Aggrey Owinow, a retired major general, has been appointed the new chair of the Reconstituted Joint Monitoring and Evaluation Commission (RJMEC).
The Intergovernmental Authority on Development (Igad), an East African bloc, has approved the appointment of George Aggrey Owinow of Kenya as the new chair of the Reconstituted Joint Monitoring and Evaluation Commission (RJMEC), the South Sudan peace monitoring body said on Sunday.
Owinow, a retired major general, was nominated by the Kenyan government and approved by Igad to replace Charles Tai Gituai, who has served in the same capacity since August 2020, the RJMEC said in a statement issued in Juba, South Sudan's capital.
"Owinow's arrival comes at an important juncture of the revitalised peace agreement where a range of critical pending tasks need to be implemented to pave the way for elections in December 2026," the statement said. "Owinow has had a distinguished military and diplomatic career spanning more than four decades, serving in different security and diplomatic missions in Africa," the JMEC said.
He served as Kenya's High Commissioner to Uganda in 2020-2022, and as deputy force commander of the African Union Mission in Somalia (Amisom) in 2019-2020.
The RJMEC has called for greater efforts to secure the necessary financial resources for the quick implementation of critical pending tasks, including the unification of forces to meet the new extended deadline for holding elections in December 2026.
In its latest quarterly report released on January 21, the RJMEC said the Government of Unity must demonstrate political will and commitment to overcome the many challenges and lay the foundations for a lasting and sustainable peace in South Sudan.
