South Sudan's government and opposition groups are scheduled to hold meetings of the Joint Defence Board (JDB) in Khartoum on Saturday, a senior opposition member said on Thursday.
Under the peace agreement, the JDB is formed at the level of chiefs of staff and directors general of national security service, police and all other organized forces. The body is tasked with command and control over all forces during the pre-transitional period.
“We have been invited by the IGAD Special Envoy for South Sudan Ismail Wais to attend the meetings of the Joint Defense Board. The meeting s will be held in Khartoum from 24 to 26 November,” Manawa Peter Gatkuoth, deputy spokesman of the SPLM-IO told Radio Tamazuj.
The senior opposition official further said the upcoming meeting will be very significant, pointing out that the peace agreement is lagging far behind schedule.
“Our military commanders on the ground are also working together to build trust and confidence between the parties. The big challenge ahead is the budget for the implementation of the peace agreement,” he said.
“We need resources for peacebuilding across the country. We need to disseminate the signed peace agreement among the people of South Sudan,” he added.
Manawa urged the international community to support the implementation of the peace agreement.
Last week, the United States, Britain and Norway said South Sudan’s pre-transitional bodies need to be empowered to function effectively and drive forward implementation of the signed peace accord, with the country’s resources clearly used to fund the agreement.