October 23rd 2018 (Nyamilepedia) – South Sudan government has announced the allocation of 700 million South Sudanese Pounds for the celebrations of the September 12 agreement which has been planned for late this month.
South Sudan President, Salva Kiir Mayardiit and opposition leader Dr. Riek Machar Teny-Dhurgon signed the long-awaited revitalized peace deal in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa last September raising hope for end to fighting.
The agreement came as a part of a regional effort led by the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) to end the continent’s most bloodiest conflict which has been going for almost five years.
President Salva Kiir in late September traveled to the Sudanese capital Khartoum and met opposition leader Dr. Riek Machar and other opposition figures inviting him for a peace celebration due in Juba for late October.
Speaking to the Eye Radio on Monday, Presidential Press Secretary Ateny Wek Ateny said the government have decided to allocate 700 millions South Sudanese pounds for the celebrations of the agreement signed by the government and opposition groups in Addis Ababa last month.
“Well the budget that was passed by the cabinet of the current government [for peace celebration] is closed to seven hundreds million pounds,” Ateny said adding that “The ministry of finance has availed the fund for it, and so the celebration is realistic as I speak with you.”
Regional leaders as well as top opposition leaders are all invited to attend the celebration according to the government which said it is committed guarantee their safety.
It is not however clear whether top opposition leader, Dr. Riek Machar will attend the celebrations but early, Machar had conditioned President Salva Kiir to release political detainees as well as lifting the state of emergence which has been in force since December 2013 in some part of the country.
Kiir in September issued a Presidential Degree for the release of the prisoners of war and political detainee. However, many have remained under government custody in the nation’s capital Juba despite release of 24 detainees last week in Wau.
The opposition have released four prisoners of war saying they were the only ones under their custody and tat they do not have political detainees.
