President Salva Kiir - Credit: Office of the President

President Salva Kiir has reiterated his calls on the holdout groups to lay down their arms and return home to participate in the forthcoming elections slated for December this year.

In his written address on New Year’s Eve, the Head of State called on the non-opposition forces fighting the government to come and exercise their democratic rights in the upcoming elections.

“I called upon the opposition forces especially the hold-out groups who are fighting the government to lay down their arms and return home and excercise their democratic rights in the upcoming elections,” he said

Kiir’s call comes more than a week after he wrote to his Kenyan counterpart, William Ruto to mediate peace talks between the government and the hold-out groups.

According to Presidential Affairs Minister Bangasi Joseph Bakasoro, the President wanted to reach a truce with the opposition groups to allow their return home before polling in December.

The Head of state said despite the international economic sanctions and arms embargo imposed on the country and the challenges, the implementation of the peace agreement is on track and that the final stage of the agreement will lead to general elections by the end of this year.