A top South Sudanese rebel general who is currently leading his own opposition group has issued an order for the declaration of cessation of hostilities with government troops.
“I hereby accept and welcome the signing of cessation of hostilities which was on 21 December,” Peter Gatdet, who heads a group calling itself South Sudan United Movement, said in a statement on Dec. 21.
He pointed out that the signed agreement is a mechanism agreed upon by opposition groups and political parties to pave the way for peace to prevail in South Sudan.
Gatdet, a leading rebel commander on both a U.S. Treasury Department sanctions list and a U.N. blacklist for his role in the unrest, urged all warring parties to comply with the ceasefire agreement.
The general, formerly with ex-first vice president Riek Machar-led rebels, commended the region and the international community for participating fully in the revitalization process in Ethiopia.