Juba, South Sudan, 16 May 2021 – The government is ‘seriously’ engaging the holdout groups to bring them to the negotiation table to restore lasting and sustainable peace in South Sudan, President Salva Kiir has said.
In a statement delivered on the South Sudan People’s Liberation Army (SPLA) Day in Juba, Kiir said the government was determined to restore stability in the country through inclusive dialogue.
“To our fellow citizens, this year’s SPLA day is significant. We are celebrating it in the midst of the Revitalized Peace Agreement implementation. We are also seriously engaged with Holdout Groups to make this peace inclusive,” Kiir said in a statement extended to Nyamilepedia.
“Our intention in this process is to restore stability in our country and I call upon all of you to fully support us in this process by embracing peaceful coexistence and violence,” the President added.
This comes after Central Equatoria State Governor Emmanuel Adil Anthony survived a deadly ambush along Juba – Yei Road, which left at least four bodyguards dead.
In a statement seen by Nyamilepedia, the office of the Governor blamed the National Salvation Front led by Gen. Thomas Cirilo, a non-signatory to the peace deal, for plotting what it called a “terrorist attack”.
Parts of South Sudan are also currently being swept by a wave of intercommunal violence. In Greater Pibor Administrative Area, residents have fled their homes as conflict with Jonglei heightens.
Amid all the skirmishes, Kiir consoled citizens and members of organized forces that the current situation shall come to pass as the peace deal nears completion.
“To organized forces, I applaud you for your duty in the face of mounting challenges. Things will not remain this way for long. With progress in peace implementation, there is a silver lining in the horizon,” he said.
The Revitalized Government of National Unity has reconstituted the National Legislative Assembly in the latest and major step toward the implementation of the peace deal.
Though the international community applauded the progress, the government still has more contentious tasks to accomplish; security arrangements and graduation of unified forces.
