October 3rd 2019 (Nyamilepedia) – South Sudan opposition groups which are not signatories of the revitalized peace agreement signed in September last year said in a statement issued Wednesday that they are not peace spoilers.
This come after the head of United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) David Shearer said holdout opposition groups are the reasons behind pockets of clashes in Equatoria region.
In a statement on Wednesday, the groups which united themselves under “South Sudan Opposition Movements” said they seek a genuine peace with the government of President Salva Kiir Mayardit.
“We, the South Sudan Opposition Movements alliance, believe that it is only through genuine, open, and meaningful dialogue, that a durable and sustainable peace can be found in South Sudan,” partly reads the statement extended to Nyamilepedia.
“A peace that will be founded on the principles of truth, justice, accountability, forgiveness, healing, and reconciliation,” it added.
The allaince further criticized Shearer, after he attributed the surge in violence in the country to the activities of non-signatories to the September 2018 peace deal.
“We are saddened that the head of the UNMISS has now largely apportioned the still-ongoing “political violence” taking place within South Sudan, as being accountable to the non-signatories of the R-ARCSS,” the group noted.
The alliance said although they were not party to the peace deal, their forces have not been engaged or instigated military offensives.
“In essence, labeling we, the non-signatories to the R-ARCSS, as “peace spoilers”; and as the culprits of the continued political and military unrest in our country. This is incorrect,” it stressed.
