Civil Society urge parties to Release Prisoners of War, Commit to Peace

Civil Society is calling upon all parties to stop hostilities and move forward on the release all political prisoners and detainees, as stipulated in the cessation of hostilities agreement.

The December 21 agreement signed in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, gave the parties seventy-two hours from its signing, to submit the names of political prisoners to the International Committee of the Red Cross for release.

Rajab Mohandis, Executive Director of the South Sudan Network for Democracy and Election – SSuNDE says reports suggest these steps have not been taken. 

“The step they took to order hostilities is important, but should be taken further,” he said.  He said the parties should ‘popularize’ the agreement by talking to the masses at the grassroots. 

SSuNDE was one of the stakeholders that signed the cessation of hostilities agreement last month in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. 

Representatives from the organisation are currently touring greater Western Equatoria to assess the implementation of the agreement and gather public opinion on the revitalization process.