UN Urges Juba to Speed Up Formation of Transitional Government

UN Urges Juba to Speed Up Formation of Transitional Government
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UN Urges Juba to Speed Up Formation of Transitional Government

UN Urges Juba to Speed Up Formation of Transitional Government

The United Nations has expressed concern over a power vacuum in South Sudan caused by the failure to form a transitional government despite a recent agreement.

In a statement earlier this week, head of the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) David Shearer called on the country’s leaders to appoint governors for the states.

“The absence of political leadership at the state level in South Sudan has contributed to the recent outbreak of intercommunal violence in the country,” he said.

“The filling of the governor positions is particularly urgent. The absence of authority at the state level has caused a vacuum of power and decision-making, as we have seen in Jonglei,” Shearer stressed.

“There have been ongoing negotiations over ministerial and other appointments over the past two weeks. I understand from speaking to those involved, that while tough, they have been carried out cordially.”

There is some optimism amongst parties that an announcement may be possible by the end of this week, he noted.

The UN official said more than 8,000 people are currently living in makeshift shelters next to the UN base in Pibor.

On Feb. 22, South Sudan’s President Salva Kiir dismissed his cabinet and appointed rebel leader Riek Machar and four others as vice presidents, paving the way for the formation of a unity government that seeks to end six years of war.

South Sudan's Presidential Adviser Tut Galwak said there are ongoing talks between the government and opposition groups on the appointment of governors.

He stressed the progress in the negotiations to end the disputes over quotas, indicating that power-sharing will be in accordance with the peace agreement that has been activated.

The group loyal to Kiir maintained the positions of the ministries of finance, interior and foreign affairs, while Machar was granted the ministries of defense, oil, mining and peacebuilding.

According to Galwak, both parties agreed to choose ministers from both sides, but he did not provide names.

“We have prepared the list of candidates for ministerial positions, but the opposition parties did not present their list yet to the president,” he said, noting that the government is expected to be announced soon.

Under the September 2018 peace agreement between the government and opposition, the unity government will have 35 ministers, 10 deputy ministers, and a 550-member parliament.



Jailed PKK Leader Ocalan Says Armed Struggle with Türkiye Over

FILE PHOTO: A woman holds a poster of jailed Kurdish militant leader Abdullah Ocalan during a spring festival of Newroz celebration in Diyarbakir, southeastern Türkiye, March 21, 2025. REUTERS/Sertac Kayar/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: A woman holds a poster of jailed Kurdish militant leader Abdullah Ocalan during a spring festival of Newroz celebration in Diyarbakir, southeastern Türkiye, March 21, 2025. REUTERS/Sertac Kayar/File Photo
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Jailed PKK Leader Ocalan Says Armed Struggle with Türkiye Over

FILE PHOTO: A woman holds a poster of jailed Kurdish militant leader Abdullah Ocalan during a spring festival of Newroz celebration in Diyarbakir, southeastern Türkiye, March 21, 2025. REUTERS/Sertac Kayar/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: A woman holds a poster of jailed Kurdish militant leader Abdullah Ocalan during a spring festival of Newroz celebration in Diyarbakir, southeastern Türkiye, March 21, 2025. REUTERS/Sertac Kayar/File Photo

Abdullah Ocalan, the jailed leader of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), appeared in a rare online video on Wednesday to declare the group's armed struggle against Türkiye over and called for a full transition to democratic politics.

In the recording, dated June and released by Firat News Agency, which is close to the PKK, Ocalan urged Türkiye's parliament to set up a commission to oversee disarmament and manage a broader peace process.

"The phase of armed struggle has ended. This is not a loss, but a historic gain," he said. "The armed struggle stage must now be voluntarily replaced by a phase of democratic politics and law."

The PKK, which has waged an insurgency against the Turkish state for four decades and is designated a terrorist organization by Türkiye, the United States and the European Union, decided in May to disband after an initial written appeal from Ocalan in February.

Since the PKK launched its insurgency in 1984 – originally with the aim of creating an independent Kurdish state – the conflict has killed more than 40,000 people, imposed a heavy economic burden and fueled deep social and political divisions.

The video marks a rare and potentially pivotal moment in the long-running conflict, offering what could be President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's most significant opportunity yet to seal a political settlement to the Kurdish issue, should his government choose to respond, Reuters reported.

It also comes before PKK militants begin handing over their weapons in groups in northern Iraq's Sulaymaniyah on Friday, in a major step in the process.

Seated in a beige polo shirt with a glass of water on the table in front of him, Ocalan appeared to read from a transcript in the seven-minute video – the first public footage or audio of him since his arrest in 1999. Six other jailed PKK members sat beside him, all looking directly at the camera.

He said the PKK, which has been based in northern Iraq's mountainous regions in recent years, had ended its separatist agenda.

"The main objective has been achieved – existence has been acknowledged. What remains would be excessive repetition and a dead end," he said.

Ocalan added that Türkiye's pro-Kurdish DEM Party, the third largest in parliament and which played a key role facilitating the PKK's disarmament decision, should work alongside other political parties to advance the peace process.

The PKK and DEM expect Ankara to address Kurdish political demands, potentially before weapons in Türkiye are handed over.

Ocalan's message came a day after Ibrahim Kalin, head of Türkiye's MIT intelligence agency, visited Baghdad for high-level meetings with Iraqi officials, the agency said. Kalin had earlier visited Erbil in northern Iraq as well.

Talks focused on strengthening border security and steps toward a "terror-free Türkiye," with the Iraqi government voicing full support for joint efforts to eliminate armed groups from the region.