Ceasefire because of Corvid-19

cc. Since 2013, two years after independence, a war has been raging in the predominantly Christian Southern Sudan, which has so far left around 400,000 dead and about four million displaced persons. According to the UN Refugee Agency, 7.5 million people there are currently dependent on humanitarian aid for their survival. After numerous efforts, the first agreement in the peace process between opposition leaders in the alliance of the Southern Sudanese opposition movement and the government of the country was signed in Rome on 13 January 2020. This was the first time that all political parties in Southern Sudan had agreed on a ceasefire and a roadmap to stabilise unity and reconciliation in the country. The „Rome Declaration“ was made possible through the long mediating activity of the Rome based Community of Sant‘Egidio and Pope Francis, who together with Anglican Primate Justin Welby, among others, has long been working for a peaceful solution in Southern Sudan. Despite the continuing violence, the various steps are an expression of the political will present in Southern Sudan and nourish the cautious hope for peace. The following statement by the Southern Sudanese opposition also follows on from this.

The Leadership Council of The South Sudan Opposition Movements Alliance (SSOMA), comprising of The National Salvation Front (NAS), South Sudan United Front (SSUF), South Sudan National Movement for Change (SSNMC), The Real Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (R-SPLM), National Democratic Movement Patriotic Front (NDM/PF) and the United Democratic Revolutionary Alliance (UDRA), takes note of and welcomes the statement by the UN Secretary General, António Guterres of 23 March 2020, calling for global ceasefire in countries where there are armed conflict in order to fight coronavirus disease (COVID-19). SSOMA noted the declaration by the World Health Organization (WHO) that Covid-19 is a global pandemic affecting almost all countries across the globe. SSOMA has been monitoring the devastating effects of the pandemic on global Population and recognizes that a period of such catastrophe calls for humanity to unite and defeat the common enemy through solidarity and a shared response by all. SSOMA reiterates its concern for safety of the people of South Sudan at this critical moment and applauds the global efforts in response to the pandemic, including the work of humanitarian agencies and public health organizations mandated to facilitate access to medical care and humanitarian aid.  In response to this situation, The South Sudan Opposition Movements Alliance (SSOMA) hereby resolves and affirms the following:

1. SSOMA has already committed/recommitted itself to cessation of hostilities agreement (COHA) of December 2017 with the Government of South Sudan in Rome, Italy on 12 January 2020. Therefore, by this act, we align with the United Nations (UN) Secretary-General’s call of 23rd March 2020, for an immediate global ceasefire on all hostilities in all conflicts of the world, in order to collectively fight against the Coronavirus Covid-19;
2. That as South Sudanese citizens and members of a shared global community, SSOMA shall, during the period of COVID-19 pandemic, partnering with relevant bodies to facilitate humanitarian access to our populations by humanitarian agencies such as the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and the World Health Organization (WHO) to allow for their work of dissemination of basic health awareness and practices that can prevent the spread of corona virus in South Sudan;
3. That SSOMA reserve the rights of self-defence if its positions come under attack during this period.

Source: https://www.nassouthsudan.com from 9 April 2020