S. Sudanese president briefs military officers on peace accord
September 1, 2015 (JUBA) – South Sudan’s President Salva Kiir, his defense minister and members of the government negotiating team have briefed country’s top military officers about the peace agreement recently signed with the armed opposition faction.
According to the army spokesperson, Col. Philip Aguer three officers from the country’s two main rival faction are due to take part in a will participate in a military workshop due in Addis Ababa this week.
“Today the commanders of the army in all the sector divisions and specialist units were ordered to come for briefing and the briefing was all about the peace agreement and the implementation particularly the issue of ceasefire,” Auger told reporters in Juba.
The defense minister, in a statement on the state-owned SSTV, urged the military to respect the cessation of hostilities agreement. This notion was echoed by information minister, Michael Makuei Lueth.
“These consultations with the military should have been the first thing to do before signing the peace agreement, but the IGAD [Intergovernment Authority on Development said no,” said Lueth.
On security arrangements, the peace agreement stipulates that thevcapital, Juba, be declared demilitarised zone, with a radius of 25kms. Foreign troops, particularly from the IGAD countries and the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) will take charge of Juba for 30 months of the transition period until elections are conducted.
The two rival armies, according to the peace agreement, will also maintain separate commands for a period of transition with president Kiir being the commander-in-chief of the South Sudan army (SPLA) and rebel leader Machar also as the commander-in-chief of his forces until a unification process is completed as per the recently signed accord.
(ST)