November 21, 2018(Nyamilepedia) — Senior military officers of the South Sudan People’s Defence Force (SSPDF) and the SPLA-IO 3rd brigade have met in Besilia, western part of the state capital, Wau and the two armed forces agreed to provide safe passage for civilian population and safeguard their welfare.
The interaction between the SPLA-IO high ranking military commanders and their counterparts is part of the confidence building measures geared towards achieving lasting peace in South Sudan.
For his part, the Director for Moral Orientation for the Sudan People’s Liberation Army-In-Opposition (SPLA-IO), Col. Hilary Claudio Musa, reassured the commitment of the SPLM-IO leadership in bringing about peace.
The two sides also agreed to immediately halt hostilities in the area and allow free movement of civilians as well as armed personnel.
“We have discussed the agenda of cessation of hostilities, and the agenda of civilian protection, the resolutions we reached were, there should not be any hostility between our forces and their forces as from that date, secondly; there should be a free movement of the civilians and protection for them in areas where they go and fetch water and firewood. They should not be attacked”.
According to a press statement released by the main opposition faction, the SPLA-IO officer, Col. Hilary termed the humanitarian situation in the I-O controlled area as ‘dire’ and appealed to aid agencies to deliver medicines and water to the civilian population in the area.
He also pointed out that the areas has witnessed patterns of rainfall shortage for the last two years.
Since last month following a celebration of the signed revitalized peace agreement, South Sudan armed forces have been on the right track, observing the cessation of hostilities and stepping up trust building strategies in the country.
