South Sudan: Ban concerned over escalation of violence

“The Secretary-General calls on all fighting forces to immediately suspend the hostilities, provide access to the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) and cooperate with humanitarian partners to facilitate the delivery of assistance. He urges all parties to agree to dialogue to resolve their political disputes,” said a statement attributable to the office of Mr. Ban's spokesperson.

Regretting the reported loss of lives, the Secretary-General commended UNMISS and the Humanitarian Country Team for taking “pro-active steps to protect fleeing civilians” outside their base in Wau.

UNMISS is in the process of deploying additional capabilities to the area to be able to address possible contingencies, according to the statement.