CTSAMVM calls on SPLM/A-IO to revoke agreement with NAS

2026-03-26 - 09:43

The ceasefire monitoring body has called on the SPLM/A-IO led by Oyet Nathaniel to revoke a recent agreement signed with the National Salvation Front (NAS), stating the move violates the 2018 peace agreement. Maj. Gen. Teshome Anagawe Ayana, chairperson of the Ceasefire and Transitional Security Arrangements Monitoring and Verification Mechanism (CTSAMVM), made the call following a memorandum of understanding signed on March 6, 2026. The agreement, signed by an SPLM-IO faction and NAS, committed the groups to political and military coordination. Speaking during a technical committee meeting in Juba, Maj. Gen. Teshome stated that the alliance between a signatory party and a non-signatory group contradicts the transition away from conflict-related activities. “The CTSAMVM was also concerned to see the announcement that on 6 March, the SPLM/A-IO and the NAS had signed a memorandum of understanding, committing to closer political and military coordination,” Maj. Gen. Teshome said. The chairperson emphasized that such alliances do not fall under the framework of the Revitalized Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in the Republic of South Sudan (R-ARCSS). The monitoring body urged the SPLM/A-IO leadership to distance itself from the memorandum to maintain the integrity of the ceasefire. “The CTSAMVM does not have to remind my IO colleagues that this alliance is not under the R-ARCSS and directly contravenes the principle that signatory parties must transition away from conflict-related activities. Toward this peace, I urge the SPLM/A-IO to revoke this new cooperation agreement,” Maj. Gen. Teshome added. https://www.eyeradio.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/2603SBE06.mp3 The National Salvation Front, led by Gen. Thomas Cirillo, remains a non-signatory to the 2018 peace deal, and coordination between it and government-affiliated forces is viewed by monitors as a threat to the current security arrangements.