A South Sudanese civil society group has commended the warring parties for signing a ceasefire deal, describing it as a very important step towards peace in the country.
South Sudanese rival leaders on Wednesday broke a deadlock in peace talks in Khartoum, agreeing on a ceasefire to take hold after 72 hours.
“Thanks to President Salva Kiir and Dr. Riek Machar as well as the other political parties leaders for making this breakthrough. We welcome it and strongly call on them to ensure that their ground forces are made aware of the agreements and instructed to observe them immediately within the given period of time,” Edmund Yakani, head of the Community Empowerment for Progress said in a statement on Wednesday.
He urged the parties to respect the signed agreements. “The mistake that was made after the signing of the Cessation of Hostilities Agreement on December 21, 2017 should not repeat itself this time,” Yakani stressed.
Yakani further said his organization will immediately engage in observing the parties’ compliance with the signed permanent ceasefire agreement.