U.N urges all sides in S. Sudan conflict to cease hostilities

April 29, 2017 (JUBA) – The United Nations has urged South Sudan government as well as the other warring parties in the war-torn nation to cease hostilities and uphold their responsibilities to protect civilians.

The advice comes in the wake of escalation of the violence and the subsequent suffering of civilians in South Sudan as a result of the recent government offensives in various parts of the country.

“The renewed upsurge in fighting represents a callous and blatant disregard of the pledges made during the 25 March 2017 IGAD [Intergovernmental Authority on Development] summit to implement a ceasefire and to facilitate humanitarian access,” the spokesperson for the U.N Secretary General, Stéphane Dujarric, said on Friday.

The official, in the statement, also urged all sides to cooperate with the U.N and other humanitarian actors to ensure safe access to all civilians in imminent danger along the West Bank of the River Nile.

“There can be no military solution to the crisis in South Sudan,” it stressed, expressing hope that regional and international partners will join in encouraging the parties to return to the negotiating table.

It added, “The United Nations remains committed to working with the African Union and IGAD to secure a peaceful resolution of the conflict.”

Meanwhile, the first elements of the Regional Protection Force of the UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) have started to arrive in the country, according to a note issued today by the Mission.

The deployment of the 4,000-strong force was authorised by the U.N Security Council in its Resolution 2304 (2016).

UNMISS says the force will provide protection to key facilities in the nation’s capital, Juba, and the main routes into and out of the city. It will also strengthen the security of UN protection of civilians’ sites and other UN premises.

The deployment of the force, to be staged over coming months, would free existing UNMISS peacekeepers to extend their presence to conflict-affected areas beyond Juba.

Despite the August 2015 peace deal, South Sudan slipped back into conflict due to renewed clashes between rival forces – the Sudan People’s Liberation Army (SPLA) loyal to President Salva Kiir and the armed opposition led by ex-First Vice-President Riek Machar.

(ST)