Speaking during a three-day Agreement on Cessation of Hostilities, Protection of Civilians and Humanitarian Access orientation workshop, the women drawn from across the country said, violators of the ceasefire accord must be “held accountable”.

According to Amer Deng, the Chairperson Women's Bloc of South Sudan (WBSS), the international community “has a responsibility” to ensure the Agreement signed last December is respected.

She said the failure to comply with the peace pact and putting in place accountability measures will derail the implementation process which South Sudanese “need the most right now.”

Amer, who is a member of the JMEC and a signatory to the 2015 Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict of the South Sudan (ARCSS), said women should take a prominent role in the oversight and implementation of the Agreement.

“Those fighting are our sons, husbands and uncles. We must ask them to stop fighting. I am sure they will listen to us. Women are peacemakers,” she said.

On her part, Achol Kur from the Federation of Women Professionals of South Sudan said women in the country “face intimidation” and cultural barriers in playing a role in the peace processes.

“Women should break cultural barriers, resist intimidation and play a key role in the peaceful and development of this country,” she said.

She said lack of resources to effectively carry out peace efforts also hinders their role in the peace process.

The workshop brought together at least 150 women from across the former 10 states.  It involved presentation from JMEC, CTSAMM, UN women and WBSS.