SSOMA, GRSS sign Resolution on Monitoring and Verification of CoHA
South Sudan Opposition Movements Alliance (SSOMA) and The Government of South Sudan (GRSS) on Thursday signed “The Resolution on Monitoring and Verification of CoHA” in Rome in accordance with paragraph 9 of the Rome Declaration signed on 12 January 2020.
The signing of the resolution effectively sets into motion a process of SSOMA becoming a member of CTSAMVM (Ceasefire and Transitional Arrangements Security Monitoring and Verification Mechanism), a group originally set up to monitor compliance by the signatory Parties and armed groups to the Revitalized Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in South Sudan (R-ARCSS) signed in Addis Ababa in 2008.
However, the resolution also clearly acknowledges that SSOMA “is not a signatory to the R-ARCSS” and that the participation of SSOMA “is neither an endorsement nor accession to the R-ARCSS” and all other arrangements reached therein to which SSOMA is not a signatory of.
As per the resolution SSOMA shall be “represented in all CTSAMVM structures in equal numbers as the other warring parties”, and SSOMA shall “fully cooperate with CTSAMVM by allowing unconditional access for the purposes of monitoring and verification as well as humanitarian access.”
The signed resolution will still need to be submitted first to the signatories of the R-ARCSS for endorsement, and then to the IGAD Council of Ministers for approval.
In the meantime, the parties have agreed to continue the political dialogue under the help and support of the Sant’Egidio Community in Rome.
General Thomas Cirillo (Chairman and C-in-C of NAS and member of the leadership council os SSOMA) signed the resolution on behave of SSOMA. The Government of South Sudan was represented by Barnaba Marial Benjamin – Presidential Advisor and Special Envoy.
SPLM-IO (represented by Henry Odwar) and NDM (Lam Akol) and other signatories to the R-ARCSS also signed the resolution as witnesses.
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