Machar briefs SPLA-IO military command on security arrangements
November 8, 2015 (ADDIS ABABA) – The Military Command Council (MCC) of the opposition forces (SPLA-IO) led by the first vice president designate, Riek Machar, was briefed on provisions of the security arrangements in the peace agreement signed in August with president Salva Kiir’s government which ended the 21-month long violent conflict in South Sudan.
Machar, the commander-in-chief of the SPLA-IO, his deputy, general Alfred Ladu Gore and the army chief of general staff, 1st Lt. Simon Gatwech Dual, and the peace team of senior political leaders conducted the briefing attended by senior military commanders.
“The aim of the briefing was to explain in details the security arrangements to the Military Command Council. It focused on preparations for deployment of joint and unified military, police and national security forces to Juba, other state capitals and major towns in implementing the peace agreement,” Machar’s official spokesperson, James Gatdet Dak, briefly told Sudan Tribune on Sunday without providing details.
The peace agreement signed in August with the details provided in the recently signed security arrangements workshop in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa, called on the parties to deploy joint forces to the capital and other major towns.
The parties agreed on the sizes and compositions of the forces in Juba, Bentiu, Bor and Malakal, but are yet to further discuss sizes and compositions of joint police forces to be deployed in other major towns in the country.
CIVILIANS KKILLED IN LEER
Dak further accused government forces of allegedly massacring hundreds of innocent civilians in Leer county of the oil-rich Unity state, despite the peace deal, saying the atrocities committed in the area last week amounted to serious crimes against the civilian population.
He said reports indicated that vulnerable civilians, “mainly women, children and elderly who fled to CARE centre in Leer town have been slaughtered by government’s forces loyal to president Kiir”, and that such a tragic incident has been confirmed by international aid workers.
He said attacks on civilian centres by government forces in Thornyor outside Leer town has continued on Monday morning, with thousands of civilians further displaced.
The opposition leader’s spokesperson also criticized the United Nations system in the country for not coming out with a strong statement condemning this recent mass killing of the civilians in Leer.
Earlier, the opposition faction accused the government of attacking their forces in Mundri in Western Equatoria state in violation of the ceasefire agreement.
(ST)