The Ceasefire Transitional Security Arrangement Monitoring and Verification Mechanism (CTSAMVM) on Tuesday declared that it has removed Monitoring and Verification Teams (MVTs) from Torit, Aweil, and Bor.
The affected states are Eastern Equatoria, Northern Bahr el Ghazal, and Jonglei.
The Mechanism had announced plans to reduce the number of monitoring teams in January due to a shortfall in funding.
Speaking during the Mechanism’s Technical Committee meeting in Juba, Maj. Gen. Hailu Gonfa Eddosa, the CTSAMVM chairperson, said the responsibility of the three areas will now be shared with the nearest areas.
“Be aware that CTSAMVM has completed the downsizing you were informed about at the last CTC meeting. The MVTs in Torit and Bor have been closed, and their areas of responsibility are shared between MVTs from Juba, Malakal, and Bentiu,” he declared. “I am very pleased with what CTSAMVM is continuing to achieve despite the logistical and resource challenges the Mission has to contend with.”
Gen. Gonfa added: “Thanks to the hard work and dedication of our international observers and national monitors in the field, and the staff in the headquarters, CTSAMVM continues to fulfill its mandate.”
Reacting to the closure of the three MVTs, Maj. Gen. Bior Leek Kuareng, representative of the Former Detainees to the Mechanism, said citizens in the three areas will be vulnerable to violations of the ceasefire.
“The three MVTs of Aweil, Torit, and Bor have been closed down so let me remind our population, our citizens in these three states that there is no CTSAMVM presence in these areas so they will be vulnerable to ceasefire violations and nobody will take care,” he stated. “The closing down of the three MVTs is a violation by Maj. Gen Hailu Gonfa who is the chairperson of the CTSAMVM. If CTSAMVM violates the agreement who will discipline it? These MVTs were created by the peace agreement and he (Gonfa) has no right to unilaterally close them down. We the signatories to the peace agreement object to it.”
“There is a need for Aweil, Bor, and Torit to function and Vice President Hussein Abdel Bagi Akol called the leadership of CTSAMVM and told them not to close down and wait for a month but all this was in vain,” Gen. Leek added.
He said ignoring the leadership of the country amounted to disrespect. He stressed that the peace monitors are being funded by the Government of Japan and that it is therefore misleading to close down the MVTs due to lack of funds.
“There is misleading information about funding which is not correct. The national monitors are being funded by Japan and there is no reason to pressure our government to fund CTSAMVM. This is unacceptable,” Gen. Leek charged. “We cannot fund the international and regional monitors. What makes the matter worse is that those who are working with the national monitors have been redeployed to other MVTs.