Cease hostilities, U.N tells South Sudan’s warring factions

January 29, 2017 (JUBA) – The United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) has reiterated its call on all the warring parties involved in South Sudan’s conflict to immediately cease hostilities and fully implement the peace agreement.

UNMISS, in a statement issued Sunday, said was deeply concerned about the outbreak of fighting between the South Sudanese army (SPLA) and SPLA in Opposition (SPLM-OI) in and around Malakal town, including intermittent shelling that has been reported over the last few days.

The situation in Malakal town, according to the mission, remained tense following clashes between rival factions.

“The mission continues to patrol regularly in Malakal and reports that the town is largely deserted,” reads the statement issued by the U.N mission in the young nation.

The acting SPLA spokesman, Santo Domic Chol said Wednesday that the two rival forces clashed near Malakal, the Upper Nile state capital after government forces were allegedly attacked by militias under the command of Johnson Olony.

He neither gave details on the exact location where the clashes occurred nor unveil information on any casualties from the Malakal incident.

UNMISS, however, said it will continue to act within its capacity to protect South Sudanese civilians in imminent danger and calls on all the country’s warring parties in the conflict to silence the guns to enable the movement of humanitarian aid and personnel to affected areas.

South Sudan has experience violence since December 2013 when political disagreements between President Salva Kiir and Machar saw the nation split along ethnic lines. Tens of thousands of people have been killed and millions displaced in South Sudan’s worst ever outbreak of violence since independence from neighbouring Sudan.

(ST)