CTSAMVM chief urges South Sudan peace parties to compromise

November 1, 2019 (JUBA) – The head of ceasefire monitoring body in South Sudan (CTSAMVM) has urged the south Sudanese peace partners to compromise and agree on concrete measures to implement key pending matters as the formation of the transitional cabinet is approaching.

Speaking at the meeting of the CTSAMVM Board on Friday, Maj. Gen. Desta Abiche Ageno said that progress “has been slow” in the implementation of the security arrangements as they have less than two weeks before the end the Extended Pre-transitional Period.

Ageno said the parties need to do work hard to complete the outstanding security arrangements and to ensure that remaining processes are expedited to catch up with lost time.

“During this critical time, what is needed is for Parties to accommodate one another, make compromises and agree on concrete measures to implement the key pending tasks of the Pre- transitional Period,” he stressed.

President Kiir admitted the delay in the implementation of the revitalized peace agreement. However, he said resolved to form the transitional cabinet on 12 November. While the leader of the SPLM-IO and his main peace partner rejects to join the government before to settle the security arrangements and state boundaries.

He further recalled that the most important remains that the two parties abide by the ceasefire for more than a year.

“This is a major achievement and one for which the Parties must be commended,” he stressed.

Nonetheless, he mentioned recent clashes between the South Sudanese army, SSPDF, and the holdout National Salvation Front led by Thomas Cirilo (NAS-TC) south of Yei on 27 October that resulted in the deaths of 3 aid workers and the wounding of a fourth, and the reported deaths of a number SSPDF soldiers.

(ST)