JUBA, Oct. 23 (Xinhua) -- South Sudan government on Tuesday confirmed main opposition leader Riek Machar will participate in peace day celebrations as a good gesture for cherishing reconciliation and unity.
Tut Kew Galuak, chairman of the organizing committee, said all the opposition leaders that signed the revitalized peace agreement in Ethiopia are coming on Oct. 30 to attend the festivities for the national celebration of achieving peace deal.
"The president and the government are ready to host the event and demonstrate to the region and the world that Juba is committed to bringing lasting, durable peace to the people," he said.
President Salva Kiir and Machar, leader of the Sudan People's Liberation Army-in-opposition (SPLA-IO), inked the final peace deal mediated by Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir under the auspices of the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), an east African bloc.
South Sudan's conflict 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.
