Activists Lambasts “Silent” Ceasefire Monitors as South Sudan goes violent

By Okech Francis

Breaches of ceasefire are increasing in South Sudan, compounded by violence on aid workers, all as a ceasefire monitoring team simply looks on, an activist said.

The Cessation of Hostilities Agreement reached in 2017 have been breached with clashes around Yei, Lainya and Moboro counties of Central Equatoria state while ambushes have rocked some parts of Eastern Equatoria and Upper Nile states, the Executive Director of the Community Empowerment for Progress Organization, Edmund Yakani, said in a statement emailed on May 16.

He also warned of worsening attacks including assaulting and killing of aid workers “across the country.”

The monitors, the Ceasefire and Transitional Security Arrangements Monitoring Mechanism, is a body mandated to monitor ceasefire in South Sudan, verify compliance and report to the Council of Ministers of the regional countries under the Intergovernmental Authority on Development.

“This observed silence of CTSAMVM is disturbing and it is raising a big question as to what is going on wrong with the implementation of CTSAMVM mandate,” Yakani said.

“CTSAMVM monitors both national and international have been observed not executing their tasks of monitoring and verification for almost the last two to three months,” he said.

Yakani warned the silence is of “great concern” and urged them to quickly respond to the violence.

“Any loss of focus from CTSAMVM will directly impact negatively on the execution of the Cessation of Hostilities Agreement, 2017 and the peace agreement as well, Yakani said.