Call to South Sudan leaders to shun violence

South Sudan leaders have been urged to accommodate each other to end the conflict in the country.

The head of Joint Monitoring and Evaluation Commission, Mr Festus Mogae, advised the leaders of the young nation to renounce violence and embark on peace.

He was speaking on Monday in Ethiopia’s capital Addis Ababa during the opening of the High Level Revitalisation Forum on South Sudan peace.

“At every level of society, from the village, to the community, the county, the state and the nation, dialogue and reconciliation must begin in earnest.

“You must find within you a desire to set aside the gun and settle your differences through dialogue and compromise,” he said in a message shared with the media.

‘My heart bleeds for the suffering and trauma that results, especially and particularly among the women and children of South Sudan,” the peace monitor said.

He singled out deliberate violations of ceasefire by the warring parties and lack of accountability for peace obstructers as key challenges to the implementation of the August 2015 agreement.

“In truth, the peace agreement signed in 2015 has never been implemented to the letter. Every institution that has been created, every appointment made, every policy enacted has gradually drifted further and further from the provisions set in the signed document,” Mr Mogae added.

He strongly advised the South Sudan leaders to shun tribalism and embrace the spirit of nationalism and patriotism.

“Each and everyone of you has a duty to the people of South Sudan.

"Not just your people, but all the people of the country,” he said.