October 19th 2018 (Nyamilepedia) – The long-awaited celebrations being organized by the South Sudan government to welcome the signing of the revitalized peace agreement last month is expected to be conducted on October 30, according to several officials who spoke to the Nyamilepedia on Friday.
South Sudan government and opposition groups including the SPLM-IO led by former First Vice President Dr. Riek Machar Teny-Dhurgon along with other opposition groups signed a peace deal agreement in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa last month.
The agreement is part of the ongoing regional and international efforts led by the regional bloc, the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) to try to end the ongoing civil war In South Sudan.
In September, President Salva Kiir Mayardit traveled to the Sudanese capital Khartoum where he attended a peace celebrations organized by the Sudanese President Omar Al-Bashir and met the main armed opposition leader and handed over to him an invitation to attend the peace celebration due to take place in Juba.
It is not clear whether Machar will attend the peace celebrations in Juba but he had conditioned President Salva Kiir to first release the prisoners of war and lift the state of emergency in force in some part of the country.
However, the prisoners of war are not yet released by the government despite a Presidential order this month for their release and the state of emergency is still in force.
the SPLM-IO on Tuesday announced the release of prisoners of war under its custody and we’re already handed over to the South Sudan government in Juba.
Several posters bearing the pictures of President Salva Kiir Mayardit and opposition leader Dr. Riek Machar were seen in most part of Juba in anticipation of the October 30th celebrations.
