The Sudan People’s Liberation Army (SPLA) has confirmed that government forces are still present at five locations in Juba per the terms of a November 2015 security deal on the partial demilitarization of Juba.
In a letter last week to ceasefire monitors, SPLA acknowledged that it it still has 3,420 troops in Juba, the maximum allowable by the agreement. Any troops outside of the five declared areas would not be allowable under the terms of the security deal and peace agreement.
According to a letter seen by Radio Tamazuj and dated 11 April, Lt. Gen. Mangar Buong Aluenge, SPLA Deputy Chief of General Staff for Operations, has written to Maj. Gen. Molla Hailemariam, the Ethiopian general who runs the Ceasefire and Transitional Security Arrangements Monitoring Mechanism (CTSAMM), inviting CTSAMM to a verification exercise.
However, SPLA did not invite the monitors to verify this until 19 April, the day after Riek Machar’s arrival in Juba. The letter also did not explicitly say that there were not troops present in any areas outside of the five areas to which it invited CTSAMM monitors to visit.
“The below are the areas where the verification will take place on Tuesday the 19th of April 2016,” reads the letter, which then proceeds to disclose five areas where SPLA forces are still present.
These include:
New Site: 700 Logistical Battalion and 250 Band & Ceremonial Guards
Tiger Headquarters: 650 Presidential Guards
Bilpham Headquarters: 700 Administrative Battalion
Ground Force Headquarters / Bilpham Headquarters: 300 Guards for Shared Unified Command and 700 Military Police
Gudele-2: 120 National Security Service
Photo: A group of troops withdrawn to Jebel Molo outside the city of Juba, 14 April 2016
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