By Yiep Joseph
President Salva Kiir and the First Vice President, Dr. Riek Machar have a hard task to leverage a seemingly collapsing peace in the country.
Several representatives of peace parties to the Security Mechanism expressed this view during CTSAMVM Technical Committee (CTC) meeting, on Tuesday.
This, follows continuous fighting between South Sudan People’s Defense Forces (SSPDF) and the Sudan People Liberation Army in Opposition in some parts of the country.
The meeting aimed at drawing a solution to situations that jeopardize peace process, urged the principles to display political will and end the continuous confrontation between the forces.
Flings between SSPDF and SPLA-IO have been reported in areas of Western Equatoria, Western Bhar el Ghazal, and Upper Nile states.
Despite several calls from peace monitors and activists, the violations continue to persist.
A senior member of the Former Detainees (FDs) in the Ceasefire Monitoring and Verification Mechanism (CTSAMVM), Gen. Bior Leek, called on President Salva Kiir and Dr. Riek Machar to rescue the citizen dying at the grassroots due to confrontations between forces.
“I urged the two principles of the parties who are fighting on the ground but are sitting friendly in Juba to calm down settle the ongoing violations” Bior said.
“I can see you(principles) here in Juba; you are sharing the cake of this country, and the citizens of this country are dying on the front,” he added.
He called on President Salva Kiir, Dr. Riek Machar, and the senior leadership of the Joint Defense Board (JDB) to respond quickly, citing that several ceasefire violations threaten peace.
“Ceasefire already has been violated in Western Equatoria, Western Bhar el Ghazal, and Nasir Upper Nile state,” he said.
He expressed that it is simple for the top leadership and military offices under JDB to seek avenues to end the violations.
The people who are dying in these confrontations, whether in uniform or not, are citizens, and they have the right to leave instead of being pushed against each other.
“I am urging the parties to observe the ceasefire.”
Major Gen Jany Kaway senior member representing the South Sudan Opposition Alliance (SSOA) reiterated the need for key principles to meet and end the issue of confrontation of the forces.
“The clashes between SSPDF and SPLA-IO have to be studied carefully, and I think there is a need for the principals (President Salva Kiir and Dr. Riek Machar) to look and resolve the issue amicably,” he said.
He added that the forces are under command and there is a need for the top officials in the command to ensure that violations of the ceasefire end immediately.
Meanwhile, Maj. Gen. Andrew Mangu, an SPLA-IO, pointed at the SSPDF for continuous violation of the ceasefire.
He called on the presidents to end the ongoing escalation of conflict in Nasir, adding that the SSPDF is taking more forces to the conflict zone.
“Right now, they (SSPDF) are preparing to go to Nasir to face SPLA-IO; in order to have peace, this escalation should not take place,” he said.
He expressed that the removal of opposition leaders displayed a lack of political will and urged the parties to respect the peace.
“Since they (SPLM/IG) are not ready for peace, I urge our partner to make a clear statement that lets IO go back until they are ready so that we may come for peace,” he said.
“At this moment we are frustrated and urge the CTSAMVM to make sure that it is neutral,” he added.
Lt. Gen. Rabi Mujung Emmanuel, senior incumbent of the Transitional Government of National Unity (ITGONU), called on the parties to end hostilities.
“We urged the parties to cease hostilities; parties need to respect the agreement and end all kinds of confrontations,” he said.
He expressed that the government is willing to ensure that peace prevails and the ongoing hostilities come to an end.