South Sudan President Salva Kiir Mayardit has said that for the nation’s citizens to have peace, there needs to be a cease fire agreement in all the army factions.

The South Sudan leader said the nation’s citizens needed to be given the opportunity to live in peace and to be productive economically.

“This can only happen when all parties to the conflict accept and honor the ceasefire,” he said.

Kiir called on the armed groups to share the ceasefire, which he said his government has declared and respect the cessation of hostilities agreement and allow for achievement of a permanent ceasefire.

“We will continue to call upon those who are still carrying arms and persuade them to respond. It is no longer justifiable to fight on as this only leads to loss of innocent lives, the destruction of properties, and delays in building our country. War is not an option,” he stressed.

The head of state indicated that some armed opposition fighters have already been integrated into the national army and have accepted to respond to the unilateral ceasefire he declared while launching the national dialogue initiative in May.

“Some of the armed rebel militias across the country have accepted our call for peace through the National Dialogue and have largely abandoned rebellion. In response, the government has accepted to integrate these forces under the framework of the 2015 Peace Agreement,” said Kiir.

South Sudan has, for two years in a row, failed to commemorate its independence anniversaries, owing to the economic crisis that Africa’s youngest nation is currently facing.

Tens of thousands of people have been killed and more than 2 million displaced in South Sudan’s worst violence since it gained independence from neighboring Sudan in July 2011