S. Sudan’s FVP urges UN to support incoming government
September 26, 2019 (NEW YORK) – South Sudan’s First Vice President, Taban Deng Gai on Thursday urged United Nations member states to support his country’s incoming government of national unity.
“The Transnational Government of National Unity will continue to consolidate peace including preparations for elections at the end of the Transnational Period”, he told the UN General Assembly.
He said with the cooperation of South Sudanese leaders, the East African nation is destined to become a beacon of hope and peace.
“Last year, I stood here representing a country many skeptics had considered was on the brink of deteriorating into violent conflict,” said Gai, adding South Sudan is heading towards lasting peace and stability”.
South Sudan descended into war in December 2013 when President Salva Kiir accused the country’s former Vice President, Riek Machar of plotting a coup.
In September 2018, the rival factions involved in the conflict signed a peace deal to end the conflict that has killed tens of thousands of people and displaced over 2 million people in the country.
Although the South Sudanese official attributed success in the ongoing implementation of the 2018 revitalized peace agreement to the engagement of different parties, he urged the international community to support efforts to bring non-signatories “on board”.
He further told the UN General Assembly that the most recent face-to-face meeting between President Kiir and Machar offered an opportunity to deliberate issues and pave the way for the formation of the Transitional Government of National Unity by 12 November.
Meanwhile, the South Sudanese First Vice President said the overall security situation in the young nation was stable, citing government’s role in encouraging dialogues at grassroots, regional and national levels, which have made significant strides towards reconciliation and healing among the country’s diverse communities.
He, however, called for a “complementary three-track approach” that included people-to-people peace initiatives, national dialogue and the implementation of the 2018 revitalized peace agreement.
(ST)