KHARTOUM -- Sudanese government said the skirmishes between rival parties in South Sudan are mere “events” that do not amount to ceasefire violation, official SUNA news agency reported Tuesday. The ceasefire agreement went into effect on Sunday, as the factions involved in the fighting in South Sudan declared their immediate commitment to the ceasefire, except for a few events during the first days, Sudan’s Foreign Minister Al-Dirdiri Mohamed Ahmed was quoted as saying. Last week, South Sudan’s conflicting parties signed a ceasefire agreement in Khartoum following the talks patronized by Sudanese government with the mandate of the Inter-Governmental Authority on Development in Africa (IGAD). Ahmed expressed his hope that the South Sudanese rivals would abide by the ceasefire agreement which he described as “an important step” towards peace in the country. On June 27, the parties to the conflict in South Sudan signed the Khartoum Peace Agreement in South Sudan, including a permanent ceasefire taking effect within 72 hours. South Sudan’s President Salva Kiir Mayardit, opposition leader Riek Machar, a representative of the political detainees in South Sudan, and representatives of other South Sudan opposition groups signed the agreement. Under the agreement, the parties would agree on all ceasefire arrangements within 72 hours, including separation of forces in close proximity, withdrawal of allied troops, opening of humanitarian corridors, and releasing war prisoners and political detainees. The IGAD and the African Union member states were invited to deploy necessary forces to supervise the agreed permanent ceasefire. The agreement stipulates that there would be a pre-transitional period of 120 days, followed by a transitional period of 36 months, during which the country should prepare for elections open to all political parties. It noted that the government of South Sudan, in collaboration with the government of Sudan, should immediately rehabilitate the oil fields for the resumption and the restoration of the previous level of oil production. Xinhua
