JUBA, Oct. 1 (Xinhua) -- South Sudan's peace monitors on Monday welcomed the recent presidential order demanding immediate release of all Prisoners of War (POWs), and detainees in line with the revitalized agreement.
The Joint Monitoring and Evaluation Commission (JMEC) said the presidential order on POW will act as a confidence-building measure.
"This is a requirement under the revitalized agreement and an important confidence building measure," said JMEC deputy chairperson Augostino Njoroge in a statement issued in Juba.
On Sept. 27, South Sudanese President Salva Kiir issued an order demanding for the immediate release of all POW and political detainees as stipulated in the revitalized agreement signed last month in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
JMEC said under article 2.2.6 of the revitalized agreement on the resolution of the conflict in South Sudan, prisoners of war and detainees shall be released immediately under the supervision of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC).
South Sudan's peace monitoring body urged all parties to emulate and honor their commitment to the agreement and cooperate with the ICRC and release all the POWs and political detainees without further delay and that the list of all such released persons, be made public.
It further reminded the parties to the agreement to abide fully by the provisions of the permanent ceasefire and facilitate the operationalization of the transitional security arrangements and the voluntary repatriation, resettlement, rehabilitation and reintegration of returnees and internally displaced persons.
The peace monitors called on the parties and stakeholders who have not yet submitted a complete list of their nominees to the various agreement institutions and mechanisms to do so immediately in order enable the expeditious convening of their activities.
Last month, South Sudan's warring leaders signed a revitalized agreement to end the conflict that has worsened the poverty in the world's newest country.
South Sudan's conflict that has now entered its fifth year since it erupted in 2013 after forces loyal to Kiir and his former deputy Machar engaged in combat.
The 2015 peace agreement to end the violence was again violated in July 2016 when the rival factions resumed fighting in the capital Juba, forcing Machar to flee into exile.
Millions of South Sudanese civilians have sought refuge in neighboring countries as the conflict rages on despite attempts by international players to end it.
