Opening Remarks ,
By Maj. Gen. TESHOME GEMECHU ADERIE Chairperson of CTSAMVM
at The CTSAMVM Technical Committee Meeting
Juba
Dear Senior Party Representatives and CTC members,
Major General Dafaalla Hamid Mohammed, former CTSAMVM Deputy Chairperson,
Brigadier General Saeed Mohammed Alshekh, incoming Deputy Chairperson,
RJMEC Representative and IGAD Special Envoy Representative, CTSAMVM Secretariat,
Observers,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Good Morning.
It is my great pleasure to welcome you to this CTC meeting. I also want to express my gratitude for your presence to address the peace process of this nation South Sudan.
Let me also take this opportunity to appreciate my brother and dear intimate friend General Dafaalla who is actually attending his last CTC meeting with us, for his overall leadership role, for all efforts he had made and for his contribution and commitment to the peace process of this lovely nation for the last two years which I am a live witness for all that he has done. It was a great opportunity to work with him.
General Dafaalla, we are going to miss you but this is the very nature of our work especially when it comes to the military. We wish you a successful and bright life in your future endeavours and your family. I also wish you safe travel back home.
Besides, I would like to take this opportunity to welcome our incoming Deputy Chairperson, Brigadier General Saeed Mohammed. We are very happy to have you at CTSAMVM and we are fully confident that you will contribute your leadership to fully impact the peace process. Gen Saeed, I would like to assure you of both my full support and that of my Secretariat will be with you at all times, please feel at home.
At this meeting of today, you will be updated on the status of permanent ceasefire. Since the last CTC on 23 July, there have been no verified clashes between the parties-signatory to the agreement. However, there has been clashes between different factions of the SPLM/A-IO following the Kit Gwang Declaration on 3 August 2021 in the area southeast of Magenis. Tensions remain in southern Central Equatoria State although the situation appears to be improving. Also, since the last CTC, there have been several incidents reported allegedly involving NAS including abductions, an attack against an SSPDF position and an ambush against SSPDF soldiers. CTSAMVM is very concerned about the risk that these incidents pose to the peace process. We call upon IGAD and RJMEC to urge the parties involved to take the necessary steps to avoid clashes and adhere to the ceasefire as well as the protection of civilians.
You will also be briefed on the implementation of the critical pre transitional tasks of cantonment and training of the Necessary Unified Forces and the vacation of civilian occupied buildings. There are no changes to these pre-transitional activities since the last CTC and we have expressed our concerns and we strongly recommend IGAD and RJMEC to urge the parties to take immediate action on these activities so that the required security arrangements can be implemented.
Our briefing also includes three violation reports. The first one involves incidents of violence in Nassir, Upper Nile State between 11 May and 20 June 2021. The second one involves SGBV in Central Equatoria in July 2021 and the third, a recent detention of CTSAMVM aircraft. These reports will also be sent to the CTSAMVM Board, as well as RJMEC and IGAD. The parties are urged to follow up on these violation reports and take appropriate action.
Dear Senior Party Representatives and CTC members,
Dear Generals,
Representatives,
Secretariat,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
CTSAMVM highly values your opinions and recommendations, then our expectations are as usual to conduct yourselves in order to address the truth and the facts by being independent, neutral and impartial with no other considerations which remains your history and benefits your people straightforward. I request you contribute your part which directly impacts the peace process in your country, South Sudan. We look forward to a constructive and successful meeting today.
I officially declare this meeting open.
Thank you.
