Kenyan Ambassador appointed chair for South Sudan peace monitor
The peace monitoring body confirmed Owinow’s appointment in a statement issued on Sunday, noting that he was nominated by the Government of Kenya and later endorsed by the East African regional bloc, the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD).
The Reconstituted Joint Monitoring and Evaluation Commission (RJMEC) has appointed Ambassador Major General (rtd) George Aggrey Owinow as its new interim chairperson, replacing Ambassador Major General (rtd) Charles Tai Gituai.
The peace monitoring body confirmed Owinow’s appointment in a statement issued on Sunday, noting that he was nominated by the Government of Kenya and later endorsed by the East African regional bloc, the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD).
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“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 read.
Owinow, a retired major general with over four decades of military and diplomatic experience, has served in various security and diplomatic missions across Africa.
He previously held the position of Kenya’s High Commissioner to Uganda from 2020 to 2022 and served as Deputy Force Commander for the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) from 2019 to 2020.
The RJMEC has emphasised the urgency of securing financial resources to implement key peace agreement provisions, including the unification of forces ahead of the December 2026 elections.
“The ruling unity government needs to demonstrate political will and commitment to overcoming the many challenges and laying the groundwork for lasting and sustainable peace in South Sudan,” the RJMEC stated in its latest Quarterly Report released on January 21.
The Revitalised Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in the Republic of South Sudan (R-ARCSS) was signed in Addis Ababa on September 12, 2018, under the auspices of the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD).
RJMEC is in charge of keeping an eye on how the Revitalised Peace Agreement and the RTGoNU's duties and tasks are carried out. This includes making sure that everyone sticks to the agreed-upon timelines and schedule for implementation.
If the rules aren't followed or are seriously broken, the RJMEC tells the RTGoNU and the guarantors (IGAD, the African Union, and the UN) what needs to be done to fix the problem.
In case of a deadlock, the RJMEC is mandated to propose measures to resolve the problem, and, if a party refuses, it is referred to IGAD for enforcement. The RJMEC provides regular reports and briefings to the RTGoNU, IGAD, AU, and UN.
RJMEC reports directly to the heads of state and government in IGAD.
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