Gen. James Koang Chol, a member of the armed opposition on the Joint Military Ceasefire Commission, says the two peace partners, the government and the SPLM/A-IO, have apparently failed to implement security arrangements per the signed peace deal.

Speaking to Radio Tamazuj, Koang stated the new coalition government was supposed to issue directives to the Joint Military Committee and the Joint Ceasefire Monitoring Committee to implement the security arrangements.

"Yes, there is failure in the implementation since the formation of the transitional government," said Koang.

"As you know that the joint military committee is technical, we receive directives from the cabinet and the presidency, so we only implement what they agreed upon. But there is no any directive to the two parties up to now,” he added.

The SPLA-IO general urged the government to approve establishment of cantonment sites for armed opposition forces in the Equatoria and Bahr al Ghazal regions.

He revealed that the armed opposition faction recently requested a meeting of the joint military committee on the Raja attack last week.

According to Koang, identification of the cantonment areas for the SPLA-IO fighters is the only solution for the ongoing insecurity situation in the country, referring to the attack by unidentified gunmen on Raja town last week.

For his part, Rev. John, a deputy pastor in Raja, told Radio Tamazuj that residents have started to return back home, amid harsh humanitarian conditions.

John explained that Raja citizens are in dire need of food and medicine after institutions and shops were destroyed.

File photo: Gen. James Koang