Commanders of the opposition group SPLM/A-IO will attend a workshop on permanent ceasefire and security arragnements to be held in Addis Ababa.

Col. William Gatjiath Deng, military spokesman of the group, said that on Thursday the SPLM/A-IO Chairman Riek Machar held an “important meeting” with generals at Pagak headquarters in which they discussed the upcoming workshop.

The spokesman siad that Machar “briefed them on how they will share ideas with Juba generals.” He said the meeting was meant to guide them how to negotiate in the upcoming workshop about the implementation of the permanent ceasefire.

“The Generals are well off to open ears and exert double efforts to the permanent Ceasefire to end the 20 months fighting in the youngest nation, despite the ongoing bellicosities that tended to sabotage the implementation to peace by the government in Juba,” said Gatjiath.

The spokesman's announcement comes after reports that Machar earlier requested that mediators delay the ceasefire workshop because he needed time to consult his own generals before sending a delegation to the workshop. 

File photo: Generals at a meeting in Pagak last year