Juba to sign final peace agreement with armed youth in WES

March 31, 2016 (YAMBIO) – Head of a faith-based group, the Council for Peace in Western Equatoria state, has revealed possibility of imminent peace agreement between the South Sudanese government and a local armed opposition group, known as the South Sudan National Liberation Movement (SSNLM) based in the state.

Speaking to journalists on Wednesday in Yambio, Bishop Barani Edward Hiboro, revealed that a breakthrough has been reached in the dialogue between the government of South Sudan and SSNLM, explaining that the two parties have agreed to sign a final peace agreement soon.

Conflict erupted in May last year between the armed youth and the South Sudanese army (SPLA) from Mundri and spread to Yambio, state capital, and to other counties in the state, forcing the youth to take arms and entered the bush to wage war against President Salva Kiir’s government.

The violence has killed hundreds of people and forced thousands to flee their homes with women raped in addition to destruction of properties.

Bishop Hiboro who played role in the dialogue stated that despite the violation of the ceasefire and the delay to sign the agreement, a delegation from Juba arrived last week to Yambio to finalize a draft for signature.

He thanked both the government and the armed youth for their commitment to continue with the dialogue even if “some people tried to confuse the process in order to fail the agreement and make the citizens suffer more than before.”

“I thank the President of South Sudan Salva Kiir for his confidence and love for the people of greater Western Equatoria State to choose dialogue in order to bring back home his children who went to bush,” said Bishop Hoboro.

This imminent final agreement follows a preliminary agreement which the two parties signed last year on 16t November 2015 which secured a temporary ceasefire and reduced unrest in the state despite trading of accusations later between the parties.

Violence later on re-escalated between government forces and the armed youth which led to the killing of many people including speaker of the Western Equatoria State Assembly, Bage James Elisa and commissioner of headquarters, Angelo Parakondo as well as senior member of the SSNLM, Wanga Victor.

The Bishop also added that the door is still open for the armed youth in other parts of the state to dialogue with the government.

It is not clear whether demands of the armed youth have been met by the government in order to sign a final peace deal.

One of the demands of the youth was to integrate all their forces into the SPLA and promote some of their sons as senior army officers.

(ST)