South Sudan Peace Deal Progressing Slowly, Difficultly
Local Editor
The UN peacekeeping chief said on Wednesday that the peace deal signed in August by South Sudan's warring leaders is at "a critical juncture" with repeated violations by both parties in multiple parts of the country.
Herve Ladsous told the Security Council that implementation of the agreement "is progressing slowly and with serious difficulties," as both sides continue to fight to try to improve their military positions.
Moreover, he urged the council and key international parties "to invest politically in supporting the take-off of the transition" by supporting key institutions in the peace agreement to oversee its implementation, provide security, and coordinate the movement of forces allowed to remain in the capital, Juba.
South Sudan has been at war since December 2013 as government forces loyal to President Salva Kiir, an ethnic Dinka, battle rebels led by his former deputy, Riek Machar, a Nuer. The fighting has killed tens of thousands of people so far, displaced over two million, and created a humanitarian crisis.
In parallel, South Sudan's UN Ambassador Francis Mading Deng reaffirmed the government's commitment to implementing the peace agreement.
As the peace agreement is implemented, Deng said the government and the UN peacekeeping mission in the country should encourage tens of thousands of civilians who have taken refuge at UN-protected sites to return home.
In the context, the Security Council discussed the peacekeeping mission's future mandate which Ladsous said should focus on supporting key transitional institutions and protecting civilians.
Relatively, the UN estimates that nearly 4 million South Sudanese are food insecure. The situation is especially bad in volatile Unity State, where some 30,000 people are at risk of famine if humanitarian agencies are not given immediate access to assist them.
Source: News Agencies, Edited by website team
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