October 4th 2018 (Nyamilepedia) – South Sudan’s Army Chief of General Staff Gen. Jok Riak met his SPLM-IO counterpart Gen. Simon Gatwech Dual in the Sudanese capital Khartoum on Tuesday to discuss the commitment to the permanent ceasefire agreement signed in June this year, sources told the Nyamilepedia on Thursday.
South Sudan’s army chief travelled to Khartoum where he met other IGAD countries Chief of staffs in a meeting that discussed the implementation of the peace agreement signed in Addis Ababa Ethiopia last month.
Speaking to the Nyamilepedia on Thursday morning, an aide loyal to the country’s first Vice President Designate and SPLM-IO leader Dr. Riek Machar said the two commanders met to discuss the implementation of the permanent ceasefire agreement signed in June.
“Yes Gen. Jok Riak and Gen. Simon Gatwech met the day before yesterday here in Khartoum to discuss challenges facing the implementaion of the permanent ceasefire agreement signed by Gen. Kiir and Dr. Riek Machar in June of this year,” the official told the Nyamilepedia on the condition of anonymity.
For his part, Manawa Peter Gatkuoth, SPLM-IO deputy spokesman told the Eye Radio that the two men have agreed to recommit themselves to the permanent ceasefire agreement signed in June.
“Yesterday, there was a meeting between the chief of staff of the SPLA/IO and Chief of Staff of the government, they discussed how to sign the ceasefire again between the warring parties. They agreed and signed a document yesterday for the ceasefire so that people will know that they have committed themselves again to stop whatever is happening around Equatoria right now,” Manawa said.
He added that the two high-ranking military officers also agreed to build confidence between the two forces.
“The meeting was very good especially the chief of staff of the government he committed himself that he will stop all this ongoing fighting and he will disengage all the forces because they want to implement the peace agreement. They recommitted themselves to implement the peace agreement to build the confidence between all the forces in South Sudan,” he said.
