UN chief says international mobilization needed to ensure South Sudan peace implementation
September 13, 2018 (JUBA) – United Nations chief António Guterres Thursday welcomed the signing of the revitalized peace agreement in South Sudan and called for an international mobilisation to ensure its full implementation.
President Salva Kiir and his main rival Riek Machar, as well as the other opposition groups, appended their signature on the final Revitalized Agreement of Resolution of the Conflict South Sudan (R-ARCSS) in Addis Ababa concluding a difficult process that mobilized the IGAD leaders for nearly two years.
In a statement released by his, Deputy Spokesman Farhan Haq, the Secretary-General welcomed the peace agreement saying it is a positive and a significant development. he further applauded the regional and international efforts for the success of the process.
Further, he called for an international mobilization to ensure the full enforcement of the peace pact and called to immediately cease hostilities in the restive nation.
“The road ahead remains challenging and the international community must remain seized of the situation in South Sudan throughout the implementation of the RARCSS,” he said
He further expressed the United Nations readiness, in close coordination with the IGAD and the African Union, to assist the parties in implementing the peace agreement.
Guterres seems opted for a different approach from the Troika countries which chose to keep the pressure on the South Sudanese government during the upcoming 30-month transitional period until the full implementation of the peace agreement.
President Kiir who is accused of continued attacks on the armed groups despite the signing of a cessation of hostilities in December 2017 repeatedly asserted his willingness to embrace peace and to fully implement it.
(ST)