December 16th 2019 (Nyamilepedia) – South Sudan’s main armed opposition and SPLM-IO leader Dr. Riek Machar Teny has urged South Sudanese a home and in diaspora to disseminate the revitalized peace agreement he signed with President Salva Kiir last year.
This came in a public statement issued by Machar on Sunday as the country marks 6th-year of war. In December 2013, fighting between soldiers of the Presidential Guards Battalion also known as “Tiger” triggered civil war after Nuer civilians were killed in Juba by a militia group reportedly belonging to President Salva Kiir.
“I am writing from Juba this letter of commemoration of the massacre of thousands of innocent civilians in Juba in the week of December 15-22, 2013, which triggered the five-year vicious war that resulted to untold suffering to our people including destruction of livelihoods and property, mass internal displacement and over five million citizens forced to take refuge in the neighboring countries and in the wider diaspora,” Machar said in the public statement extended to Nyamilepedia.
He urged the people of South Sudan to “disseminate the agreement not only in the country but also in the POCS, refugee camps and diaspora so that our people can own and protect this Agreement. It is therefore imperative that we all cooperate in its implementation.”
“As you are aware we signed on September 12th, 2018 a peace agreement that brought to an end the conflict in the Republic of South Sudan. Thus far, we ensured prevalence of peace despite two failed attempts to implement the security arrangements and determine the number of states and their boundaries.
“Our teams in the implementation mechanisms have been working from Juba with their counterparts in government to implement the pre-transitional period activities, a perquisite for establishment of the Revitalized Transitional Government of National Unity. The pre-transitional period has now since been extended twice after expiry of the initial first eight months timeline. Our committees are determined and committed to overcome the impediments in the course of implementation of the agreement.
“I came to Juba on 10 December 2019 to have talks with President Kiir and to support our teams in a hope to resolve the critical outstanding pre-transitional issues, namely: security arrangements, number states and their boundaries, funding of the implementation of the agreement and the need of political space. We shall strenuously engage the government to resolve these issues and for the government to live to its commitment to avail funding.
“Today, 16th December, is the Day of Reconciliation worldwide. In this fight, the SPLM/SPLA (1O) leadership calls upon our people to start the process of reconciliation among themselves so that they can live in peace and harmony as one people in one nation with one social contract that shall lead them to building a democratic, federal and prosperous state.”
