Festus Mogae, chairman of the Joint Monitoring and Evaluation Commission (JMEC), a body tasked with overseeing implementation of the signed peace deal in South Sudan, has asked rebel leader Riek Machar to declare a unilateral ceasefire.

This comes during his meeting on Friday with Machar in South Africa, where the two discussed ways of finding solutions to the ongoing conflict in the country. This is the first meeting Mogae held with Machar since fighting erupted in July 2016 in the capital, Juba.

Machar’s press secretary, Lam Kuei Lam said in a statement seen by Radio Tamazuj that Mogae asked the SPLM-IO leader, former first vice president Riek Machar, to denounce violence and join Kiir’s dialogue initiative.

“On item one, the chairman did inform President Mogae that indeed SPLM/SPLA-IO is not a war mongering, the SPLM/A-IO is on self-defense,” party reads lam’s statement.

“On the second and third items, the chairman called for initiation of a political forum for the parties to engage on the peaceful settlement of the conflict, resuscitate and review the ARCISS [Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in South Sudan],”he added.

Machar, Lam said, a cessation of hostilities would be negotiated by the parties when the forum is initiated.

President Kiir has recently promised IGAD leaders to announce a unilateral ceasefire. However, the government said Kiir’s commitment will be first discussed by the cabinet.

Photo: Mogae and Machar during a meeting in Pretoria on March 31, 2017 (Facebook)