In South Sudan, 47 lawmakers, aligned with the South Sudan Opposition Alliance (SSOA), boycotted a parliamentary sitting on Monday, May 11, in protest against proposed amendments to the 2018 Revitalised Peace Agreement.
An opposition lawmaker, Bol Joseph Agau of the National Democratic Movement (NDM), said the cabinet-led amendment process was unilateral and unconstitutional, arguing that only signatories to the peace agreement have the mandate to alter its provisions.
The boycott, which involved multiple SSOA-affiliated parties including NDM, PDM, SSUM, NAS, FDP, and factions of SSPM, was intended to deny quorum to the ruling SPLM bloc. However, Agau noted that three lawmakers from a faction aligned with Vice President Hussein Abdelbagi attended the session.
Justice Minister Michael Makuei Lueth tabled the proposed amendments before the Transitional National Legislature, which aims to revise key provisions of the peace agreement to facilitate long-delayed elections expected later this year.
The amendments were referred to the parliamentary committee on legislation and justice for further scrutiny, with a report expected within two weeks.
Agau warned that the process violated constitutional requirements, including Article 199, which he said demands a two-thirds majority approval for constitutional amendments linked to the peace deal. He further argued that altering core power-sharing provisions would undermine the foundation of the 2018 agreement.
The Government maintains that the amendments are necessary to advance the peace process and prepare the country for elections that have been repeatedly postponed since the agreement was signed.