Open letter: SPLM-IO Deputy Chair, Odwar writes to Head of JMEC concerning Maiwut’s incident

 

October 3rd 2019 (Nyamilepedia)-Ambassador Lt. Gen. Augostino Njoroge, Interim Chairperson, Revitalized Joint Monitoring and Evaluation Commission (R-JMEC), Juba, South Sudan.

Systematic violations of COHA and permanent ceasefire by the Incumbent TGNU in Maiwut County-

Dear Sir,

I am writing to bring to your attention the flagrant and systematic violations of the Revitalized Agreement by the Incumbent TGNU in Maiwut County. Under the Agreement and Cessation of Hostility Agreement (CoHA, December, 2017), the parties are under obligation to refrain from prohibited actions outline in CoHA including those outlined in Revitalized Agreement Article 2.1.10.4 “offensive, provocative or retaliatory actions such as dissemination of hostile propaganda, recruitment, mobilization, redeployment and movement offorces…

The Incumbent TGNU has since August, 2019 engaged in systematic violations of the text and spirit Of the Agreement unabated. This campaign is aimed at undermining the Permanent Ceasefire declared in September, 2018.

As part of its mandate, in August, 2019, the JMCC established Turuw Cantonment site and deployed AJMCC and JMCT in Maiwut area.

But due to the government hostilities in the area, Turuw cantonment site has never been operationalized. In fact the government militias attacked and now effectively occupy the site. The AJMCC and JMCT deployed in Maiwut have since failed to discharge their mandate due to intimidations threats to their lives and denial of access to Turuw cantonment site.

Further in August, as part of mobilization and recruitment drive by the government, the leadership of SPLMA-IO was shocked and outraged by the conduct of the National Security and Intelligent Service to recruit and fly some SPLMA-IO officers from Khartoum to Juba and airlifted them upon arrival to Maiwut County to destabilize the area.

The latest plan to destabilize Maiwut was announced by the government on 25/9/2019. Maj, Gen. Ochan Puot, who was sewing SPLA-IO martial disciplinary procedure, was announced by the government spokesperson and the Minister of Information to have defected to the government.

This announcement was televised on South Sudan Broadcasting Corporation for two consecutive days from 25-26/9/2019. The SSPDF since then has been supplying and arming Maj. Gen. Ochan in Maiwut and use him as a proxy counter-insurgence unit to destabilize the area, In fact the SSPDF now occupies civilian area of Jotome, Wechluak-jaak and Turuw areaThese flagrant violations of the Agreement undermine the text and spirit Of the Agreement and seek to overturn the Permanent Ceasefire. SPLMA-IO brings these violations to your attention for your appropriate actions.