South Sudanese forces implement security arrangements as per peace agreement

By

Peter Louis

South Sudan’s national army, the Sudan People’s Liberation Army (SPLA) earlier this week started the implementation of security arrangements signed by the two parties in Addis Ababa this month, by moving part of their troops to cantonment sites outside of Juba.

This move comes as the peace agreement signed by the armed opposition on the 17^th of August and by the president of South Sudan on the 26^th of the same month seems to be witnessing very little progress. The military spokesperson Col. Philip Aguer reiterated his government’s commitment to the implementation of the peace agreement and that more forces will be relocated to a distance of 25 km from the capital Juba as stipulated by the peace agreement.

South Sudan has been in a state of conflict since December 2013 and fighting is still ongoing despite the agreement that was signed three months ago.

Colonel Philip Aguer said that they have started the deployment of the forces and according to the security arrangement and ceasefire agreement that was recently signed in Addis Ababa on the 3^rd of November by the forces of Riek Machar and also on the 18^th of September, this agreement stipulated that most of the forces inside Juba will be redeployed 25 km outside Juba.

Philip added that SPLA General Headquarters, particularly the ground forces command under major general Samson Mabior, have started to redeploy two hundred and fifty troops, being two companies to the area of Magari, while the remaining deployment will continue according to the presence of shelters, water and basic living conditions in the rest of the areas or locations around Juba.

In his statement to journalists at the SPLA headquarters during the polling out of forces in Juba, General Samson Mabior Lual, SPLA Director for Operations, said they have started the implementation of the peace agreement which is very necessary and our people in South Sudan have been looking for peace and this is why we are serious and now implementing the security arrangements.

The SPLA were requested to implement the above arrangement in accordance with the peace agreement, beginning in the cities of Juba, Bor, Malakal and Bentiu, initially with 250 men and women.

Peter Louis

Peter Louis works as a freelance Videographer and Journalist in the Republic of South Sudan. He previously worked for Ebony TV, South Sudan Radio and South Sudan TV, Wau.