The ceasefire and transitional security monitors say government forces stopped their patrol team at a checkpoint near Rejaf and restricted their movement this week.

In a statement, the monitors say their team was travelling to Kajo-Keji to monitor the strict implementation of the ceasefire as recommended by the recent IGAD summit of heads of state and government.

The patrol team included members from the UN mission in the country. The statement says the team was stopped on Tuesday by government soldiers.

The monitors have condemned in the strongest terms the denial of the freedom of movement to its monitoring and verification teams, saying it has been guaranteed by the agreement on the resolution of the conflict.

The body calls on the government to ensure freedom of movement to conduct missions it has been assigned under the agreement.

Below is the full text of the statement:

On the morning of Tuesday 4 July 2017, Government/SPLA soldiers at one SPLA checkpoint stopped a Ceasefire and Transitional Security Arrangements Monitoring Mechanism (CTSAMM) / United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) Joint Patrol near Rejaf en route to Kajo-Keji.

The CTSAMM patrol was traveling to Kajo-Keji. The purpose of the patrol was to monitor the call by the IGAD Assembly Heads of State and Government of South Sudan at the 31st Extra-ordinary Summit on 12 June 2017 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, for strict implementation of the ceasefire.

The CTSAMM is an impartial, neutral body committed to pursuing its mandate to monitor the implementation of the Permanent Ceasefire and Transitional Security Arrangements (PCTSA) as laid out in the Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in the Republic of South Sudan (ARCSS). The ARCSS and several related agreements provide the CTSAMM with complete Freedom of Movement and unhindered access throughout the Republic of South Sudan to monitor Government and Opposition compliance with the Agreements.

CTSAMM condemns in the strongest terms the denial of the freedom of movement to its Monitoring and Verification Teams (MVTs) guaranteed by the ARCSS and associated agreements. The CTSAMM calls on the Government to ensure CTSAMM Freedom of Movement to conduct missions it has been assigned under the ARCSS, the Cessation of Hostilities Agreement of 23 January 2014, and related accords.

Efforts to reach the SPLA for a comment were not successful.