The Intergovernmental Authority on Development, Igad has appointed a senior Ethiopian military officer as the new chairman of South Sudan’s ceasefire monitoring body.
Lt. General Asrat Denero took oath of office on Monday and will be running the affairs of the Ceasefire and Transitional Security Arrangement Monitoring Verification Mechanism (CTSAM-VM).
According to the tweet seen by The EastAfrican on Monday evening, Nuur Mohamud Sheekh, Igad’s executive secretary spokesman, described the new chairman as a professional military officer.
“He is globally respected as a highly competent & professional officer,” Sheekh added.
Lt. Gen. Asrat has also served as the Commander-in-Chief of the Ethiopia Ground Forces and coordinator of the Metekel Zone Integrated Command Post.
The ceasefire monitoring mechanism’s main mandate is to report to Igad on the progress of implementation of the ceasefire agreement in South Sudan.
The chairman is charged with the responsibility of continuously engaging peace parties to adhere to the ceasefire deal, especially the Cessation of Hostilities Agreement which was signed in Khartoum, Sudan, in 2018.
Meanwhile, the outgoing chairman last year admitted that cantoned soldiers were deserting training sites and cantonment centres due to poor living conditions there.
