Mogae�s staff safe
Tefo Pheage | Thursday July 14, 2016 11:34
Fall’s assurances come after Mogae, who chairs the JMEC, expressed fears and concerns over their safety following an eruption of war when troops loyal to President Salva Kiir and first Vice President Riek Machar began shooting at each other in the streets of Juba leaving over 150 people dead.
In an email response to Mmegi, the JMEC spokesperson, who is also Mogae’s deputy said, “the rest of the staff in Juba are all safe and we thank God for that”.
He added that, “President Mogae was not in Juba during the recent fightings. He was in Nairobi and left Nairobi this morning to Addis Ababa in order to brief the Ethiopian prime minister, the Chair of IGAD. President Mogae will attend the AU summit and he is planning to arrive in Kigali on 14 July”.
President Kiir and first Vice President Machar on Monday appealed for an immediate ceasefire following too much pressure from the international organisations and several countries but sources on the ground say it is not clear whether the violence has subsided.
Mogae yesterday told the extra-ordinary session of the IGAD council of ministers that he has received reports that the situation has worsened.“Just yesterday, I spoke to the two leaders urging them to immediately declare a ceasefire. Unfortunately, I have received reports that the situation is getting worse and attacks have spread further afield in Juba. Most embassies and international organisations have reportedly started evacuating their staff. I can confirm that I have also commenced preparations for the safe evacuation of my staff at the JMEC secretariat,” he said.
He again called for cessation of hostilities and urged President Kiir and First Vice President Machar to assume their responsibility to protect civilians, as well as guaranteeing unhindered access for humanitarian workers.
“Failure to respect the permanent ceasefire by the parties is a serious violation of the Peace Agreement, and deserves the severest rebuke by IGAD,” Mogae said.
He further appealed to the IGAD, the African Union, the United Nations and the international community to assist South Sudan in every manner possible, in particular to secure stability and ensure the provision of humanitarian assistance to the affected people.
“Finally, we should not lose hope or be discouraged. We must redouble our efforts to engage the authorities to ensure the return to the full implementation of the Peace Agreement,” he concluded.
The newest state, South Sudan became independent from Sudan in 2011 but its short history has been defined and marred by civil war. UN secretary general Ban Ki-moon has said, “Yet again, the leaders of South Sudan have failed their people. Rarely has a country’s conduct squandered so much promise so quickly.” He continued that an “immediate” arms embargo should be imposed on South Sudan.