South Sudan’s President Saiva Kiir has dissolved parliament paving way for lawmakers from opposing sides of the country’s civil war to be appointed under a 2018 peace accord.

Kiir decision was announced on public television on Saturday evening but no date was given as to when the new parliament will begin working.

The setting up of a new legislative body was part of an accord signed in September 2018 between Kiir and Vice president Riek Machar for years on opposing sides during the five-year civil war that led to 380,000 people’s death and displaced four million.

Activist and civil society groups welcomed the dissolution of parliament saying it was long overdue but also expressing distrust.

Chairman of the South Sudan Civil Society Forum Jame David Kolok said it is a welcome development and we hope that the dissolution will also open the way to a lengthy process towards reconstituting the parliament.

Meanwhile, the civil society is getting frustrated and no longer believes that even if the parliament is reconstituted it will be a very viable parliament.