CTSAMVM held a meeting of its Technical Committee Members in Juba today. Please refer below for the opening statement made by CTSAMVM Chairperson Maj. Gen. Yitayal Gelaw.
“Dear Senior Party Representatives and CTC members,
IGAD Representative,
RJMEC Representative,
Defense Attachés,
Observers,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Good morning.
I welcome you to this meeting and express my sincere gratitude for your contributions to addressing the issues affecting the peace process in the Republic of South Sudan.
Esteemed Senior Party Representatives, Ladies and Gentlemen,
The ceasefire continues to hold in the areas CTSAMVM Monitoring and Verification Teams have accessed during this reporting period. Today, we have two investigative reports and one violation report to discuss. These include the armed attacks in Yambio that have resulted in the deaths of three security forces personnel and injuries to a further three security forces personnel and two civilians. Additionally, CTSAMVM MVTs have recently deployed long-duration patrols to Western Bahr el Ghazal and Upper Nile to demonstrate CTSAMVM’s commitment to maintaining an operational presence across the entirety of South Sudan.
Esteemed Senior Party Representatives, Ladies and Gentlemen,
I am happy to report that last week, CTSAMVM deployed a long-duration patrol to Nasir Town to investigate the worrying reports of armed clashes between armed youth and SSPDF soldiers. The results of this investigation are currently being prepared for discussion within the Joint Monitoring Coordination Office. Preliminary findings suggest that although tensions have reduced, significant trust-building work remains.
I am relieved to report a marked downturn in National Salvation Front activity, particularly within Western Equatoria. Central Equatoria continues to endure NAS operations, which are largely confined to criminal enterprise. The ongoing security force operations to deter and disrupt NAS activity and secure the civilian population are progressing. This has led to armed groups operating as NAS affiliates to target NGO workers in order to extract ransom payments.
I would like to take a moment to speak about the Necessary Unified Forces. During the last CTSAMVM Board Meeting, we heard encouraging and complimentary testimony from civil society representatives regarding the conduct and impact of NUF forces. This theme has continued during this reporting period. What is clear from the Daily Monitoring Reports submitted by the Monitoring and Verification Teams is the high level of expectation among the population, who eagerly await the arrival of the unified forces. The unification of forces represents the single most visible example of signatory party cohesion and commitment to peace for the South Sudanese people. It is also a tangible demonstration to the international community that implementing security arrangements remains a priority for the Transitional Government. CTSAMVM again urges that the positive stabilization and confidence-building effects of NUF deployments be reinforced with the necessary resourcing to enable a wider deployment footprint across South Sudan.
Esteemed Senior Party Representatives, Ladies and Gentlemen,
As you know, the Transitional Government has taken the necessary steps to extend the transitional period by two years. CTSAMVM welcomes the consensus that made the decision possible. This will afford additional time to complete the implementation of the transitional security arrangements. Which in turn will set the conditions for hosting a stable electoral process. However, the practical implications of our continued operational presence remain unknown.
During the last CTSAMVM Board meeting, I highlighted the increasingly competitive demand for donor funding and the budgetary constraints across the multiple security mechanisms underpinning the R-ARCSS. Those same concerns remain, and securing additional donor funding to ensure continued monitoring and verification activity will be challenging. CTSAMVM will explore all options that maintain our ability to deliver our mandate. However, we must be pragmatic and prepare for the possibility that adjusting our operational model within resource constraints may be necessary.
With these few remarks, I declare this CTC meeting open and invite Senior Party Representatives to make their remarks.
Thank you.”