October 29th 2018 (Nyamilepedia) – Members of the Ceasefire and Transitional Security Arrangements Monitoring and Verification Mechanism (CTSAMVM) on Saturday launched a campaign to clean streets of the capital Juba as the nation’s capital prepares to witness celebrations for the peace agreement signed last month.
South Sudan President Salva Kiir Mayardiit and opposition leader Dr. Riek Machar Teny-Dhurgon signed a revitalized version of the August 2015 peace deal in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia on September 12th.
The agreement came as a part of IGAD efforts to end the ongoing civil war which engulfed the nation in December 2013 and mostly fought along ethnic lines with most soldiers from the Dinka ethnic group supporting President Kiir, an ethnic Dinka, and those belonging to the Nuer ethnic groups supporting former vice president, Dr. Riek Machar, an ethnic Nuer.
Kiir later sent out invitations to regional leaders to come to Juba for a peace celebrations initially set for October 30th and later shifted to the following day, October 31 with the government saying the reschedule was to give time to work that need to be done.
Machar, among prominent opposition figures is also expected in the South Sudanese capital after confirming last week that he will attend the peace celebrations he initialed said he will not attend unless government release prisoners of war and lift the state of emergency among other demands.
In a preparation for the much publicized celebrations, members of the ceasefire monitors on Saturday launched a campaign to clean up streets of Juba as most African heads of states and government among other dignitaries are expected in the capital.
South Sudan government announced last week that it has allocated around 700 millions South Sudanese pounds for the peace celebrations, but critics said government should not allocate such a big amount.
Jok Madut Jok, a prominent critic of South Sudan’s government who is also a co-founder of the South Sudanese think-tank, the Sudd Institute, expressed disapproval of the peace celebrations, saying its not going to be a joyous celebration for all South Sudanese people across the country.
“I can assure you, this party is not going to appear as a celebration for everyone in the country. What we will be looking at on 30, or is it 31 now, is the lavish expense for just one day, while the soldiers are languishing in hunger, the children are still dying of malnutrition-related causes,” Jok said in a statement.
“What this party will mean to us is superficial policies and actions that lack deep thinking,” he added.
