The Ceasefire Transitional Security Arrangement Monitoring and verification Mechanism (CTSAMVM) has been hit by internal disputes with some senior party representatives threatening to boycott board meetings.
Speaking during a Technical Committee Meeting at the Beijing Hotel in Juba on Tuesday, Senior Representative of the Former Detainees (FDs), Maj Gen Bior Leek Kuareng, complained about the violations, lack of payment of allowances and the closure of three areas to the monitoring teams.
“The chairman put it that the ceasefire is holding but there are contradictions in the report. The tensions in Nasir and the violations or fighting in Motot Uror County, and new tensions in Yambio, are serious violations. So, you don’t say the ceasefire is holding because once a bullet is fired, it is a violation,” Kuareng said.
“I am advising CTSAMVM to tell us the truth because we are hearing some very bad news from Yambio. There is tension between the SSPDF and the SPLM-IO and we do not know where it will lead us to,” he said.
Kuareng accused the Chairperson of the National Transitional Committee (NTC) for the nonpayment of their allowances for five years.
“I would like to question the NTC Chairman about the implementations? I do not think he is serious requesting the budget from the security mechanisms for extensions or because we are going for elections. For five years, all the security mechanisms have not been paid incentives,” he said
Kuareng accused the Chairperson of CTSAMVM, Maj Gen Yitayal Gelaw Bitew, of ignoring advice from the South Sudan leadership on the closure of the MVTs on Torit, Bor and Aweil.
However, Bitew insisted that the ceasefire was holding but raise alarm over clashes between the youth and the SSPDF in Nasir County, Upper Nile State.
“I am encouraged to note that the ceasefire continues to hold, as evidenced by the fact that we do not have a specific report to discuss today. This positive development is largely due to your shared commitment to the peace process,” Bitew said.