Upper Nile caretaker governor Chol Thon Balok is in Malakal for the first time since his August appointment to welcome members of the SPLM-IO advance team, his information minister said.

Daniel Yor Akec said Wednesday that Chol will celebrate Christmas ain Malakal in order to prepare the ground to receive SPLM-IO advance team members.

“We don’t how many will come but we are prepared to receive them," Yor said.

“Our country needs peace. It needs development. And we can’t achieve this in war. War from 1955 is enough and it is time we put aside our differences and begin to work together so that we can once again sit down as brothers and sisters to think together how we can our people and build the country.”