Peace partners sound alarm on situation in South Sudan and urge leaders to work together to prevent relapse into war

Regional and international peace partners are calling on South Sudan’s leaders to take urgent, collective action to de-escalate tensions and prevent a relapse into civil war, which would cause unprecedented suffering and impact the whole region.

The partners spoke at a virtual meeting of the African Union Peace and Security Council on the situation in South Sudan.

“As we gather today, South Sudan is on the cusp of a full-scale conflict,” said the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) Special Envoy for South Sudan, Ambassador Ismail Wais.

“The peace that has been kept and sustained for the past seven years is now in grave and imminent danger of collapse. Immediate concerted diplomatic intervention is imperative to avert a full-scale war that will otherwise engulf the whole region and beyond.”

He highlighted a series of factors that had contributed to the deteriorating situation, including clashes between the South Sudan People’s Defence Forces (SSPDF) and White Army in Nasir, airstrikes in the same location, rising tensions related to the deployment of Ugandan troops in South Sudan, and a public spat between the parties.

“If a conflict breaks out in South Sudan now, it will be like no other. The destruction and suffering will be unprecedented. Now is the right time to act.”

The Special Representative of the Secretary-General and Head of the United Nations Mission in South Sudan, Nicholas Haysom, agreed that immediate, collective intervention was needed to ensure that war is averted.

“As partners in peace, we are concerned that South Sudan is poised on the brink of relapse into civil war, which threatens to erase the hard-won peace gains since the signing of the Revitalized Agreement in 2018,” he said.

“The peace process and its mechanisms remain the key to the restoration of peace, and they are on the verge of collapse. While we commend President Kiir for reassuring citizens that there will be no return to war, to actualize this commitment, the Parties must take necessary steps and remain steadfast in implementing the Revitalized Agreement—both in letter and spirit.”

Speaking on behalf of the Government of South Sudan, Acting Ambassador Boutrus Thok Deng, said the incident in Nasir was triggered by a misunderstanding that occurred during a routine military redeployment.

He assured the AUPSC that the Government is taking all necessary measures to restore peace and order, pointing to a recent address to the nation by President Salva Kiir, committing not to return to war.

“The Government is firmly committed to the implementation of the peace agreement in order for our people to continue living in peace and harmony,” he said.

The Head of UNMISS sought the support of the Council to urge the parties to recommit to the cessation of hostilities and the peace agreement, encourage the principals to meet, address their differences constructively, and speak to the nation together in a show of unity, call for the release of detained military and civilian officials or their treatment in accordance with legal process, and immediately address the Nasir tensions through dialogue rather than further military confrontation.

“We need to look no further than across the northern border to Sudan for a stark reminder of how quickly countries can descend into catastrophic war,” said Mr. Haysom.   

“There is only one path out of this cycle of conflict and that is through the Revitalized Agreement. The overriding imperative now is to direct all our efforts to prevent a relapse into war, support the full implementation of the agreement, and progress the transition towards the country’s first democratic elections,” he said.

“This region cannot afford another conflict.”

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS).

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The post Peace partners sound alarm on situation in South Sudan and urge leaders to work together to prevent relapse into war appeared first on Future Media News.