The emergence of new armed groups and divisions within the opposition is limiting capacity of ceasefire monitors to reach some parts of the country, the Ceasefire and Transitional Security Arrangements Monitoring Mechanism.

The unnamed armed groups, which recently broke away from forces loyal to former first vice president Dr Riek Machar, are reportedly active in the Upper Nile region.

The Chairperson, Gen Molla Hailemariam, raised the concern on Wednesday during the 9^th meeting of the CTSAMM, the body responsible for monitoring the ceasefire in the country.

This, he lamented, has caused uncertainties in the security and safety of monitoring and verification teams assessing areas held by armed groups.

General Hailemariam said this is a major challenge because there is no channel of communication between CTSAMM and the armed groups.

“When sending MVTs to areas controlled by other armed groups and some opposition areas, we have no ways of getting assurances regarding the safety of our staff,” he stated.

“Although in recent times, we have seen an improvement in the ability of UNMISS to improve force protection to the MVTs in a timely manner, this is still an issue that needs attention as it is severely hampering the response time of the MVTs.”

Gen Hailemariam went on to say CTSAMM has made progress with the government in addressing issues of freedom of movement to areas of conflict.

Since July 2016, monitors have conducted several long-range patrols across the country. This includes Pariang, Leer, Raja, Yei, Kajo-Keji, Mundri, and Maridi.

The closed-door meeting held today was attended by representatives from the government, the opposition and diplomats from the international community, among others.