US envoy urges S. Sudan’s warring parties to quickly from unity government
By Tesfa-Alem Tekle
March 22, 2016 (ADDIS ABABA) – The United States envoy to Sudan and South Sudan, Donald Booth has urged South Sudan’s rivals to quickly form a transitional government.
Sources said Desalegn and the Troika representatives reviewed the progress of South Sudan’s peace deal.
“We will continue to work closely as Troika countries with IGAD to try to bring about an implementation of South Sudan’s peace agreement,” Booth told reporters in Addis Ababa.
The US ambassador’s call comes as the two South Sudanese conflicting parties continued to trade blame over protracted delays in forming a transitional government.
President Salva Kiir and rebel leader, Riek Machar, signed a peace pact in August under the regional bloc, IGAD, medation to form a Transitional Government of National Unity.
However, the two South Sudan ruling party factions failed to meet the 22 January deadline to establish the transitional government over few contentious issues, including on disputes to share out ministerial positions and on Juba’s move to establish 28 states.
Expressing concerns that South Sudan’s peace agreement was already far behind schedule, the US special envoy urged both the South Sudanese government and the opposition to form the “transitional government of national unity as quickly as possible.
The Ethiopian Prime Minister reassured the Troika of his country’s commitment to strengthen partnership with the international community to make sure that south Sudan’s political stakeholders engage themselves for peace and stability in the country.
South Sudan seceded from Sudan in July 2011. Two years later, however, the young nation descended into civil war after disagreements within the ruling party leadership.
(ST)