The Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) has reminded the warring parties in South Sudan to stop hostile movement of forces and to begin to separate opposing forces from each other.
Through a press release on Wednesday, IGAD called for “the guns to be silenced,” recalling that the parties have committed to a Cessation of Hostilities Agreement.
IGAD pointed to the signing of the Implementation Matrix of the Cessation of Hostilities Agreement on 25 August, saying this new deal “operationalizes” the January ceasefire agreement and brings expectations “that the guns will be silenced and the senseless conflict in South Sudan will end.”
“As per the terms of the Implementation Matrix, the Parties are required to immediately freeze the position of, and begin to disengage and separate their forces, with the assistance of and verification by the IGAD Joint Technical Committee (JTC) and the Monitoring and Verification Mechanism (MVM),” reads the press release.
The mediators say they hope that halting the violence will help build confidence between the parties in order to improve the environment for negotiations.
Negotiations were adjourned 28 August and are scheduled to resume 13 September. The mediators say the adjournment will “allow the stakeholders to engage in consultations.”