Time for action, U.S diplomat tells South Sudan president

October 25, 2017 (JUBA) – The visiting United States ambassador to the United Nations, Nikki Haley on Wednesday said it was time for South Sudan president Salva Kiir to act, not talk, if the civil war that has killed tens of thousands of people in the young nation is to end.

“What I told him [Kiir] was that the United States does not want to hear a lot of talks. I was not to listen what he wants to say. I was here to say the United States is at a cross point. It not about the talks, it’s about the action. We have to see a willingness of the Government and the military to stop the violence and stop the abuses that are happening in the country,” Haley remarked.

While in Juba, however, Haley had what she described as a “very frank” conversation with President Kiir about the lack of progress towards peace since civil war broke out almost four years ago.

The senior US diplomat said Washington, particularly under the new Donald Trump administration, would not accept to wait anymore.

“We have lost trust in this [Kiir] government and we now need to regain that trust. The only way to regain that trust is through the actions of taking care of all of the people. President Kiir is the president of everyone, not just one tribe, not just one group. In order to be a leader you have to be willing to take care of all of your people,” said Haley.

“Time for action is now, we are not waiting anymore, we need to see a change and we need to see it right away”, she further stated.

While speaking in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa on Tuesday, the US official said her government would not abandon the people of South Sudan who have been put a cross point since the president does not does care about the suffering of his people”.

“So first to go back to that you know when you look at South Sudan, you have to really think hard before you pull U.S. aid because President Kiir doesn’t care if we pull U.S. aid. He doesn’t care if his people suffer”, Haley said as a press briefing held after she had discussions with Ethiopia’s prime minister and African Union officials.

“And that is the concern we have as we don’t know that it will make a difference by pulling U.S. aid or not. That is the conversation we will have. And we will try and see exactly what will move President Kiir so that he does take the moral high ground and start to really look at creating a safe position for his people,” she added.

She said President Trump is likely to pile pressure on regional leaders.

“But I think if there is not a response from South Sudan, you will continue to see added pressure coming from the IGAD and I think that the AU obviously is going to continue to move and work with the IGAD as they go forward. Our goal is to have one voice [saying] we have to see peace in South Sudan. We have to see that women are being taken care of. We can’t see any more death. We can’t see any more famine,” further said Haley.

She added, “We’ve got to start seeing the situation get better and I think that the pressure is only going to continue until President Kiir makes the difference in that area”.

Last month, President Trump announced Haley’s visit to Africa during a meeting with African leaders on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly session in New York. Haley becomes the highest-ranking US official to visit Africa during the President Trump administration.

(ST)