Cantonment areas identified for forces and the verification process is far from completion, the ceasefire monitoring body in South Sudan said.
The Ceasefire and Transitional Security Arrangements Monitoring Mechanism (CTSAMVM) chairman, Major Gen. Desta Abiche said the verification process is still far from completion due to many logistical challenges.
Abiche further said there have been some reports of clashes in Yei area, despite improved security situation across the country.
“Generally speaking, the ceasefire continues to hold and the security situation is further improved. However, there were two reported clashes in the Yei area between SSPDF and allegedly the NAS forces of Thomas Cirillo that occurred over the past few days,” Abiche told the body’s 10th technical committee meeting Thursday.
He said they received reports that a government soldier was killed and another wounded while traveling on the Yei-Maridi road last Sunday.
“At this point, the casualties from NAS forces are not known,” said Abiche.
Meanwhile, the CTSAMVM chairperson said they continue to receive reports of inter-communal violence, but stressed that violence related to the conflict be differentiated from those involving cattle and traditional rivalries in South Sudan.
The CTSAMVM was established after the signing of the Agreement on Resolution of the Conflict in South Sudan (ARCSS) in August 2015. The body is responsible for monitoring and verifying the implementation of permanent ceasefire.
The CTSAMVM board comprises representatives from the warring Parties, the Former Detainees (FDs), other Political Parties, the Women’s Bloc, South Sudan Women’s Coalition (SSWC), Civil Society Organizations, the Youth, Eminent Personalities, IGAD, the African Union (AU), China, the Troika (The United States United Kingdom and Norway, the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS), the European Union (EU) and the IGAD Partners Forum.