JUBA, Dec. 19 (Xinhua) -- South Sudan's ceasefire monitoring agency on Wednesday accused government forces of attacking its personnel in Luri in southern South Sudan.
The Ceasefire and Transitional Security Arrangements Monitoring and Verification Mechanism (CTSAMVM) said the government should adhere to the necessity of the revitalized agreement to end five years of conflict.
"CTSAMVM condemns in the strongest terms the appalling attack that took place on Dec. 18, 2018 on its monitoring and verification team in the Luri area," the monitoring agency said in a statement.
It revealed that it had launched a full investigation into the events in which coalition government security forces assaulted and illegally detained senior ranking male and female officers, including support staff from the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), an eight-member regional bloc.
"Attack on monitoring personnel and interference with the performance of their duties are strictly prohibited and must be prevented from recurring," said the monitoring body.
It appealed to the South Sudan government to immediately conduct an investigation, hold perpetrators accountable for these despicable acts and their chain of command responsible for its leadership failure.
"CTSAMVM has a legal right to be present in South Sudan, and all the parties to the agreement have an obligation to facilitate the work of the monitoring mechanism," said the monitoring body.
It reiterated its obligation to freely monitor the implementation of the revitalized agreement on the resolution of the conflict in South Sudan.
