Africa-Press – South-Sudan. Vice President Dr. Benjamin Bol Mel and the head of ceasefire monitoring body (CTSAM-VM), Maj. Gen. Yitayal Gelaw Bitew met in Juba on Tuesday to explore ways to fast-track the realization of lasting peace in the country.
Gen. Gelaw, Chairperson of the Ceasefire and Transitional Security Arrangements Monitoring and Verification Mechanism (CTSAM-VM), emphasized that the success of the peace process hinges on the commitment of all signatories.
“The Vice President reaffirmed the government’s full dedication to the Revitalized Peace Agreement, noting that the vision of His Excellency President Salva Kiir Mayardit – a peaceful, united, and prosperous South Sudan – remains at the heart of national priorities,” a statement from Dr. Bol’s office said.
The statement further stated that Dr. Bol stressed that peace is the cornerstone of South Sudan’s economic transformation. “With stability, South Sudan can unlock investment, expand agriculture, build infrastructure, create jobs, and uplift communities across the nation.”
VP Bol reportedly called for collective responsibility to safeguard peace, adding that “it is not only essential to maintaining the current gains of peace but also to building the trust and unity that South Sudan needs to move forward.”
CTSAM-VM, a mechanism established by the 2018 peace deal, plays an instrumental role in monitoring and reporting on compliance and violations of the permanent ceasefire and transitional security arrangements.
South Sudan has experienced a deteriorating security and political situation since February 2025, following the outbreak of deadly violence in Upper Nile, Western Equatoria, Western Bahr el Ghazal, and cantonment sites in Central Equatoria.
This prompted the Special Representative of the United Nations Secretary General in South Sudan to warn that the country was on the brink of another civil war.
The Head of UN peacekeeping mission (UNMISS), Nicholas Haysom, urged all parties in South Sudan to pull back from the brink and commit to peace before the country plunges into another devastating conflict, in a briefing to journalists in March.
“A conflict would erase all the hard-won gains made since the 2018 peace deal was signed. It would devastate not only South Sudan but the entire region, which simply cannot afford another war,” he warned.
On April 28, the Interim Chairperson of the peace monitoring mechanism R-JMEC, Amb. Maj. Gen. (rtd) George Aggrey Owinow, published a 24-page report on the status of the peace accord.
Gen. Owinow said the peace implementation ground to a halt in the first quarter of the year 2025, as the parties engaged in repeated violations and the political and security environment worsened.
He called on South Sudan peace parties to cease hostilities and the incumbent transitional government to immediately release the SPLM/A-IO leaders and military officials currently in detention, unless credible evidence warrants legal proceedings.
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