Juba, South Sudan,
July 17, 2021 – The Community of Sant’Egidio has included the South Sudan Opposition Movements Alliance (SSOMA) in the Ceasefire & Transitional Security Arrangements Monitoring & Verification Mechanism (CTSAMVM).
In a statement released Saturday, parties to the Rome Peace Talks resolved that SSOMA, an umbrella of armed opposition movements, shall give details of members to be included in the ceasefire monitoring body.
“Within two weeks of signing this Resolution, SSOMA shall provide to CTSAMVM the details of SSOMA personnel that shall serve as contact persons for establishing a channel of communication with CTSAMVM until SSOMA is fully integrated into CTSAMVM structures,” the statement reads.
Meanwhile, the Revitalized Transitional Government of National Unity, a signatory to the Rome Peace Talks, says it will attend a workshop organized by four peace monitoring bodies before a separate training is offered to SSOMA.
“The RTGoNU decided to take part in a Technical Workshop to be organized by CTSAMVM and the Community of Sant’Egidio in collaboration with IGAD and RJMEC in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, from 2nd to 5th September 202.
“SSOMA shall provide a list of representatives to be included in CTSAMVM structures on the last day of the Technical Workshop. The Technical Workshop shall be followed by a 10-day monitoring and verification training to be organized by CTSAMVM for SSOMA representatives,” part of the statement reads.
CTSAMVM is the multinational body that monitors compliance with the South Sudan peace agreement signed in 2018.
The organization has Monitoring and Verification Teams (MVTs) located in 9 of the most conflict-affected areas of the country.
The MVTs patrol their areas of responsibility and gather information on potential violations of the agreement which they immediately report to their headquarters in Juba for further action.
The team has filed multiple reports of clashes between government forces and forces of the holdout with most cases happening in Central Equatoria State, an indication that adherence to the Cessation of Hostilities has not been strictly followed.
