November 4th 2018 (Nyamilepedia) – South Sudan’s rebel group, the National Salvation Front (NAS) led by Gen. Thomas Cirilo said on Saturday the parties to the revitalized peace agreement, the government, and the SPLM-IO have continued their violations against the ceasefire agreement they both signed in June.
South Sudan President, Salva Kiir Mayardiit and opposition leader Dr. Riek Machar Teny-Dhurgon signed the long-awaited peace deal in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa in September. Early in June, the two parties, including NAS, had signed a permanent ceasefire agreement as a step in ending the war.
Since then, the parties, namely the government, SPLM-IO and the National Salvation Front, have continued to trade accusation over repeated violations of the peace agreement and the ceasefire deal.
In a statement issued on Saturday, the National Salvation Front (NAS) led by Gen. Thomas Cirilo said the parties to the revitalized agreement, the government and the SPLM-IO has continued campaign in violating the ceasefire deal.
“Sadly, despite the signing of the agreement, the parties continue to violate the ceasefire, the number of the civilians who are killed, fleeing their homes, particularly in Western Bahr El Ghazal and Equatoria is on the rise, and millions are facing food shortages,” the statement signed by the group’s spokesperson, Suba Sammuel Manase, said.
It criticized he government for using a huge amount of money in celebrating the peace deal on Wednesday saying it should instead be used to address what it call immediate need of the refugees and IDPs.
“Ironically, the financial resources that the government spent in the “peace celebration” could have been used to address the immediate needs of the refugees and displaced persons,” the statement added.
The statement further added that the group is aware of the South Sudan people’s need for a genuine peace deal reiterating the group’s previous stance towards the previous peace agreement.
“We acknowledge that the people of South Sudan want to see credible peace and development in their cities and villages. Indeed, we understand their plight and desire. Hence, we stand with them because we share the same concerns and aspirations. We are committed to continue our efforts to search for a credible path to an inclusive and sustainable peace,” it added.
“We, however, reiterate our stated previous position that the signed peace agreement is unsustainable due to lack of a credible attempt to address the root causes of the ongoing war, concentration of powers and lack of checks and balances in the presidency, unrealistic governance and security arrangements, lack of genuine commitment to accountability and justice, and growing threat to the sovereignty of the country, just to mention a few,” it further said.
