United Nations (United States) (AFP) - UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon is inviting South Sudan's president and rebel leader to New York this month in a bid to bolster their struggling peace accord.
Rebel leader Riek Machar is planning to attend the September 29 meeting, his spokesman told AFP, but it remained uncertain that President Salva Kiir would turn up.
The leaders signed a peace deal last month but fighting has continued despite a ceasefire that was due to take hold on August 29.
Ban "hopes it will be attended at the highest level to ensure that the implementation of the agreement receives the fullest possible support from the international community," a UN spokesperson said Tuesday.
Kiir told reporters in Juba earlier that he was "fully committed" to ending his country's war as the UN Security Council was to decide on a new wave of sanctions.
The United States has requested that a global travel ban and assets freeze be imposed on South Sudan's army chief Paul Malong and rebel commander Johnson Olony for their role in the continued fighting.
The sanctions will come into force at 1900 GMT if no objections are raised by the 15 Security Council members.
The world's youngest nation, South Sudan descended into bloodshed in December 2013 when Kiir accused Machar, then his deputy, of planning a coup.
The violence has left tens of thousands of people dead and the impoverished country split along ethnic lines.
The UN meeting to be held on the sidelines of the General Assembly session would include envoys from key neighboring countries as well as the United States, Britain and other European states seeking to end the war.
Machar's spokesman, Dickson Gatluak, told AFP that the rebel leader will be in New York from September 26 and will attend the meeting convened by Ban.
A new list of speakers at the General Assembly session released Tuesday meanwhile featured South Sudan Vice President James Wani Igga, suggesting that Kiir had no plans to come to the UN.
Last year, Kiir failed to turn up at a meeting on South Sudan also organized during the high-level session of the General Assembly.
Newer articles:
- For victims of South Sudan sexual abuse, rare help in Khartoum - 16/09/2015 09:07
- South Sudan Sanctions Delayed: Russia, Angola Oppose US Proposals Against Army Leaders - 16/09/2015 08:33
- South Sudan: Aid workers say they are increasingly targeted amid persistent insecurity - 16/09/2015 05:32
- South Sudan: Aid Workers Say They Are Increasingly Targeted - 16/09/2015 05:16
- Russia and Angola Delay UN South Sudan Sanctions - 16/09/2015 00:13
Older news items
- Russia Opposes Sanctions on Rival South Sudan Generals - 15/09/2015 13:13
- Kiir urges South Sudanese unity - 15/09/2015 11:44
- South Sudan's Kiir says 'fully committed' to peace deal - 15/09/2015 08:27
- South Sudan must silence the guns to have peace, says churches leader - 15/09/2015 05:47
- UN to decide Tuesday on new sanctions against South Sudan - 14/09/2015 18:06
Latest news items (all categories):
- South Sudan's President Kiir promotes sanctioned ally as ruling party deputy - 21/05/2025 19:01
- US says South Sudan is not final destination for deportation flight - 21/05/2025 18:56
- US ‘illegally deported’ Vietnamese and Burmese migrants to South Sudan - 21/05/2025 18:53
- How Collo’s Selfish Education Negatively Affects Society - 17/05/2025 21:06
- Museveni Launches Regional Road Project Linking Uganda, South Sudan & Central African Republic - 17/05/2025 20:08
Random articles (all categories):
- Watchdog report accuses South Sudan military of corruption - 26/01/2017 12:40
- Agriculture In South Sudan - 24/07/2017 00:38
- Situation border Sudan and South Sudan 'quiet but tense' - Radio Dabanga - 27/12/2012 14:06
- South Sudan Hopes Higher Oil Prices Will Restore Ravaged Economy - 05/12/2017 12:04
- Machar calls on S. Sudan parliament to recognise the Abyei referendum - 14/11/2013 08:39
Popular articles:
- Who is the darkest person in the world, according to Guinness World Record? - 25/10/2022 02:34 - Read 104911 times
- No oil in troubled waters - 25/03/2014 15:02 - Read 22662 times
- School exam results in South Sudan show decline - 01/04/2012 17:58 - Read 22118 times
- Top 10 weakest currency exchange rates in Africa in 2023 - 19/07/2023 00:24 - Read 21120 times
- NDSU student from South Sudan receives scholarship - In-Forum - 29/09/2012 01:44 - Read 19564 times