A coalition of South Sudanese civil society in Nairobi called on IGAD, AU, Troika and UN Security Council to resuscitate the 2015 peace agreement, and allow South Sudan’s rebel leader Riek Machar to come back to the country and join President Salva Kiir to declare unanimous permanent ceasefire to end the ongoing conflict.
In a joint press release signed by the Congress of South Sudanese Patriotic for Peace, Aghut Foundation, South Sudanese Peace Coalitions and the Youth Pioneers on Tuesday, the coalition said it is frustrated by the decision taken by the peace partners to hold Machar hostage in South Africa without giving any public testimonial to South Sudanese citizens on such disturbing man- made catastrophe in country.
The group also called for replacement for the chairperson of JMEC Festus Mogae due to his alleged bias performance of being not abided by the IGAD’s principle and neutrality of international obligations toward implementation of the signed peace accord since the outbreak of fighting in July 8 2016.
“Mogae failed to condemn and report to UN Security Council all violations of peace agreement such as crimes committed against civilians and serious military offensive in Upper Nile and Equatoria region perpetuated by the two warring factions,” partly reads the statement.
The coalition condemned the atrocities being committed allegedly by army actors engineering regular displacement, aggressive killings and raping of innocent civilians that disrespected both the national and international law.
It appealed to warring parties to refrain from pursuing destructive military means.