UN chief backs S. Sudan’s peace revitalization forum
December 17, 2017 (JUBA) – The United Nations Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres has urged South Sudanese parties to engage in good faith in the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD)-led High-Level Revitalization Forum (HLRF) due in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, this week.
The Secretary-General, in a statement, said he is convinced that with full backing by the region and the wider international community, this forum provides a unique opportunity to bring all the parties to the conflict and other stakeholders to the negotiation table.
“As the conflict in South Sudan enters its fifth year, the Secretary-General urges all South Sudanese to end the violence and peacefully resolve the crisis in the country,” reads the statement.
The top UN official appealed to the parties in South Sudan to seize the opportunity of this meeting to secure a new cessation of hostilities, address the implementation of the 2015 peace accord, and develop revised timelines to reach key benchmarks.
Guterres reiterated his deep appreciation for the work of the IGAD special envoy, Ismail Wais, Joint Monitoring and Evaluation Commission (JMEC) chairman, Festus Mogae and the African Union High Representative, former President Alpha Oumar Konaré, for “preparing the ground for this inclusive forum that carries the promise of moving South Sudan out of the current catastrophic humanitarian and human rights crisis by bringing an end to this protracted conflict”.
Last week, the Troika nations (Norway, the United States and United Kingdom) vowed to fully support IGAD’s continuing effort to build peace saying they view the HLRF as the essential and inclusive forum to advance peace in the war-torn nation.
“IGAD’s ability to solve this crisis depends on unity of purpose amongst its members, and we urge the IGAD countries to speak with one voice,” said the Troika, calling for a “genuinely inclusive” HLRF that reflects the political reality of South Sudan.
The revitalization process, which is being supported by regional nations, seeks to revive the implementation of the 2015 peace agreement and bring all the warring parties together.
(ST)