SSPDF soldiers ride on a boat on the Nile river on their way to Aleleo, Fashoda State, on October 16, 2016 | Credit | FP/ Charles Atiki Lomodong

A senior Member of the SPLA-IO has admitted that some of their soldiers are still occupying civilian centers across the country.

Last week, the Ceasefire and Transitional Security Arrangements Monitoring Mechanism or CTSAM-VM reported that more than 30 civilian centers were still occupied by soldiers.

In a statement, the ceasefire monitoring body said four buildings have been newly occupied by the SPLM/A-IO, while a total of 37 civilian buildings are now occupied, mostly by government forces.

Speaking during the event organized by a civil society organization today, the chairperson of Strategic Defense and Security Review Board – Angelina Teny – said they are working to send the soldiers to cantonment sites.

“SPLA-IO are still occupying civilian centers and so on and so forth. I think this came to our attention in the last R JEMC meeting for the first time. We are told that there are four civilian centers. I don’t know whether there are schools but we are following up the matter. But it’s not a policy, they said that this happened recently so we are finding out why it has happened. And those who moved to civilian centers to be told immediately to move and they are supposed report to cantonment.”