By Michelle Nichols
UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - South Sudan's president and a rebel leader accused each other on Tuesday of violating a ceasefire brokered to end a 21-month conflict in the world's newest state as United Nations chief Ban Ki-moon appealed to them "not to betray and disappoint us."
Ban told President Salva Kiir and rebel leader Riek Machar that now was the time to correct their "grave mistakes." A political dispute between the pair spiraled into a war that has killed thousands and forced two million people to flee.
"We are all here to help you, I hope you will not betray and disappoint us," Ban told a meeting on the sidelines of the annual United Nations General Assembly in support of a peace deal signed last month.
Kiir has been president since independence from Sudan in 2011, and Machar was his deputy until he was dismissed in 2013.
The conflict reopened ethnic fault lines that pitted Kiir's Dinka against Machar's ethnic Nuer forces. Nearly 13,000 U.N. peacekeepers are still sheltering more than 200,000 people at camps throughout South Sudan.
"I am determined to stop this senseless war," Kiir told the meeting via video conference from South Sudan. "Unfortunately, while we are busy implementing the agreement, the armed opposition continues to violate the permanent ceasefire."
"When I decided to join the liberation struggle three decades ago I did not expect to liberate my people in order to take them back to war amongst themselves," he said.
Machar, who attended Ban's meeting in person, said he agreed with Kiir that the ceasefire was not holding. He said there were serious challenges to implementing the agreement signed last month, under mounting pressure from neighboring countries and threats of sanctions from Western powers and the United Nations.
"The strange thing is we are attacked, we are blamed (for violating the ceasefire)," Machar said, adding in reference to Kiir: "He hit us, than he ran to complain."
The United Nations has accused both sides of crimes against civilians. In June, the world body accused South Sudanese troops and allies of sexually abusing women and girls and reportedly burning some of them alive in their homes.
The United States and other Western donors have accused Kiir and Machar of squandering goodwill after South Sudan's independence and hindering development in an oil-producing nation with almost no tarmac roads and heavily reliant on aid.
Newer articles:
- South Sudan cease fire violated again - 01/10/2015 12:47
- Starvation and war: South Sudan's 'peace' deal in action - 01/10/2015 02:47
- Starvation and war: S.Sudan's 'peace' deal in action - 30/09/2015 23:47
- Canadian journalism program sparks glimmer of hope in South Sudan - 30/09/2015 20:05
- South Sudan seeks to boost military ties with Egypt – Official - 30/09/2015 09:51
Older news items
- U.S. in Talks With IMF on South Sudan Aid After Peace Deal - 29/09/2015 23:04
- African Union announces South Sudan war crimes court - 29/09/2015 15:11
- S/Sudan: Juba refuses increase of UN peacekeepers - 29/09/2015 14:45
- The Latest: UN Chief Scolds South Sudan Leader Over War - 29/09/2015 10:13
- With South Sudan at crossroads, Ban urges parties to reaffirm commitment to peace - 29/09/2015 10:09
Latest news items (all categories):
- South Sudan needs ‘civic education’ before elections, says bishop - 16/01/2025 16:42
- South Sudan parties set to resume peace talks in Kenya - 16/01/2025 16:39
- Abandoned but not forgotten – the invisible crisis in South Sudan - 16/01/2025 16:35
- The SAF has committed barbaric atrocities against South Sudanese refugees in Wad Medani - 16/01/2025 16:27
- Syria 2025: The historical Syrian project: From revolution to a modern inclusive civil state - 16/01/2025 16:10
Random articles (all categories):
- At UN, African Leaders Say Terrorists Target Continent, Especially Sahel - 29/03/2023 00:32
- Is Proceeding With Elections In South Sudan The Lesser Of Many Evils? – Analysis - 29/07/2024 19:13
- Poverty takes heavy toll on education in South Sudan - 07/09/2021 20:22
- Sudan: Refugees struggle to survive in crisis-ridden South Sudan - 03/07/2023 06:02
- Southern Sudan 2011 Task Force: Call for Experts and Professional Staff - 17/03/2010 17:16
Popular articles:
- Who is the darkest person in the world, according to Guinness World Record? - 25/10/2022 02:34 - Read 61670 times
- No oil in troubled waters - 25/03/2014 15:02 - Read 22306 times
- School exam results in South Sudan show decline - 01/04/2012 17:58 - Read 21492 times
- NDSU student from South Sudan receives scholarship - In-Forum - 29/09/2012 01:44 - Read 19060 times
- Top 10 weakest currency exchange rates in Africa in 2023 - 19/07/2023 00:24 - Read 18793 times