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, called on the South Sudan government to ensure an unobstructed flow of humanitarian aid to rural areas in order to maintain peace and security.

In a speech read on his behalf by JMEC Deputy Chairman Amb Lt. Gen. Augostino Njoroge during a half-day long peace-building workshop in Juba today, Mogae said that the government must ensure an uninterrupted flow of humanitarian aid to the rural populace to sustain them in the rural areas.

 “This will bring peace to the countryside which will stabilize the rural economy. International experience shows that for virtually all countries, economic growth was built on a productive agricultural sector,” said Mogae.

The peace monitor attributed the current economic crisis in South Sudan to conflicts and poor fiscal and economic management.

“The economic situation interacts directly with the security situation. Security is a pre-requisite for a stable economy which in turn is a prerequisite for peace, development and prosperity. For any economic progress to occur, the security situation must be stabilized,” he said.

Mogae noted that a high-level of food insecurity prevails in the country due to low agricultural production as people continue to abandon the rural areas to flee violence.

For his part, Peter Bashir Gbandi, South Sudan’s Minister for Parliamentary Affairs, reiterated his government’s commitment in the peace process.

“We must disseminate messages of peace. Peace is not an easy process, it requires the will of all of us,” he said.

The government official thanked JMEC for its efforts to encouraging efforts of peace and reconciliation in South Sudan.