October 31st 2018 (Nyamilepedia) – Regional leaders and international dignitaries have arrived in the South Sudanese capital Juba to participate in the peace celebrations organized by the South Sudan government today.
Somalian President, Mohamed Abdallah Mohamed, Sudanese President, Field Marshal Omar Hassan Ahmed Al-Bashir, Ugandan President, Yoweri Museveni among other regional leaders including the newly appointed Ethiopian President are in Juba for the celebrations.
Opposition leader, Dr. Riek Machar Teny-Dhurgon as well as the leader of the South Sudan Opposition Alliance (SSOA) Gabriel Changson Lew Chang is also in the South Sudanese capital to participate in the celebration which has been much publicized.
South Sudan President, Salva Kiir Mayardiit and opposition leader Dr. Riek Machar Teny-Dhurgon signed the long-awaited revitalized peace agreement in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa in September.
The agreement by the two along with other parties is a part of a regional initiative led by the regional bloc, the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) to try to end the five-year old brutal conflict in the young African nations.
South Sudan descended into civil war in December 2013 following a flare-up of violence at a national convention of the ruling Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM) party at Nyakuron Cultural Centre in the capital Juba.
The disagreement later on instigated fighting with in the Presidential Guard which split into two along ethnic line with the Dinka members supporting President Salva Kiir, an ethnic Dinka, and the Nuer Members supporting Machar, an ethnic Nuer.
The violence has killed hundreds of thousands of people according to the UN and displaced almost half of the country while threatening famine against the rest.
