South Sudan’s Vice President, Riek Machar has relocated his military base and residential area outside Juba following a renewed wave of ground and air attacks for days from forces loyal to President Salva Kiir.
According to Machar’s spokesperson James Gatdet Dak, their forces have changed location and now stationed behind Jebel Kujur, about 5 kilometers southwest of Juba town but are within the vicinity of Juba.
Dak confirmed the decision to relocate was to avoid violence from escalating citing a declaration of ceasefire on Monday evening between hos forces and those loyal President Salva Kiir.
Dak reiterated about his boss commitment to the peace agreement and ordered his forces to respect the cessation of hostilities he declared on Monday.
The opposition leader’s spokesperson also added that their side proposed the need to deploy a third party force preferably peacekeepers from the United Nations which should create a buffer zone between the two rival forces in order to ensure there is no return to violence.
Dak also noted that security arrangements for Juba and other major towns in the country should be reviewed and operationalized to ensure restoration of security.
