The head of the United Nations Mission in South Sudan said there is reason to be hopeful that the country's transitional government will succeed.
David Shearer said that following the signing of a new peace agreement, conditions have greatly improved from when former Vice President Riek Machar fled Juba in 2016.
Shearer said Tuesday that the government has control of more territory, and there's an enormous push by the people of South Sudan for real change.
"And I don't think either side can turn their back on that. And together with the way that the peace negotiations were conducted, it brought both sides together, and they were able to agree on the basic framework for going forward," Shearer said at U.N. headquarters in New York.
Shearer acknowledged "some tricky issues going forward," and said while no agreement is perfect, the U.N. feels it is an agreement "that offers the best chance in a long while for moving South Sudan in the right direction."
Shearer also said that while the U.N. is very mindful of the pitfalls that lie ahead, it is cautiously optimistic both sides are "committed to going down that path. And if that happens, it'll make an enormous change to South Sudan."
Warring factions and the government of President Salva Kiir signed a new peace agreement in September 2018. Under the agreement, Machar, who led one of the largest rebel groups, expects to return home later this year and take part in the transitional government.
The U.N. mission chief paints an optimistic picture of the current state of security in the country. He said civilian casualties have greatly diminished in recent months.
In the last four months since the signing of the agreement, Shearer said there has been "a very significant decline in casualties as a result of political violence." But he said there's been an uptick in casualties with regard to cattle raiding. Shearer said the numbers are in the low 100s.
Some fighting continues in parts of the Equatoria region in the southern part of the country, but Shearer added the casualties "are in the 2s and 3s, not in the hundreds."
And where peacekeepers patrol, such as around Protection of Civilian sites, Shearer said violence is almost non-existent.
"Very low numbers, in the POCs it's virtually nothing. If there's anything, it will be criminal more than anything else and through the rest of the country, but the peace agreement and cease-fire has largely held," said Shearer.
Some people have concerns about security when Machar returns to the country. The SPLA-IO leader is expected to come back in May when the pre-transitional government is supposed to wind down to make way for the transitional government of national unity.
Shearer pointed out that a combined, pre-transitional committee, as outlined in the revitalized peace deal, will make decisions about security arrangements.
"We believe that it's in the best interests of the peace agreement that the parties themselves decide how they want to handle those security arrangements. If they can handle them themselves, that is an enormous confidence step to being able to get things moving that does not involve the U.N.," said Shearer.
To date, the U.N. has not been approached by any side regarding security for Machar's return.
Newer articles:
- South Sudan: Let’s make peace, NOT WAR! - 09/02/2019 05:03
- Villagers Describe Horror in South Sudan's Yei River State - 08/02/2019 14:16
- Japan injects sh3.6b into South Sudan peace deal - 08/02/2019 03:58
- Ghanaian Troops Serving in South Sudan to receive UN Peace Medals - 08/02/2019 03:18
- S. Sudan’s Kiir blames outsiders for peace deal inaction - 08/02/2019 02:58
Older news items
- S. Sudan's Kiir Blames Outsiders for Peace Deal Inaction - 07/02/2019 12:23
- Residual U.S. sanctions keep Sudan's economy in chokehold - 07/02/2019 09:03
- Dr. Lam Akol Prominent opposition leader returns to South Sudan - 07/02/2019 04:33
- James Gatdet Dak accuses Kenya, South Sudan of kidnap - 07/02/2019 01:08
- South Sudan arrests 2 military officers with 535 kg of bush meat - 06/02/2019 06:36
Latest news items (all categories):
- UNDP and the Office of the Vice President Launches the Women and Youth Leadership Program in South Sudan - 14/02/2025 11:37
- The Grave Blunders And The Paradoxical Ways In Leadership Sector - 14/02/2025 11:32
- ADF approves $153.66 million for Uganda-South Sudan electricity interconnection project - 13/02/2025 20:48
- Rwandan peacekeepers in South Sudan get UN service medals for their service - 13/02/2025 20:44
- Afreximbank seeks to claw back US$657mn debt from South Sudan - 13/02/2025 20:30
Random articles (all categories):
- South Sudanese man who posed as high school student seeks release from jail - 02/05/2016 15:56
- OIL DATA: China Crude Imports From Sudan Resume in August - Fox Business - 21/09/2012 05:57
- In South Sudan, the 'Blue Sisters' bring hope to abused women - 04/05/2019 05:06
- South Sudan: Thousands at-risk of hunger and disease in aftermath of clashes, floods in Equatoria States - 02/11/2020 05:11
- Intense South Sudan battles creating 'catastrophe', UN warns - 22/05/2015 10:11
Popular articles:
- Who is the darkest person in the world, according to Guinness World Record? - 25/10/2022 02:34 - Read 72126 times
- No oil in troubled waters - 25/03/2014 15:02 - Read 22391 times
- School exam results in South Sudan show decline - 01/04/2012 17:58 - Read 21608 times
- Top 10 weakest currency exchange rates in Africa in 2023 - 19/07/2023 00:24 - Read 19449 times
- NDSU student from South Sudan receives scholarship - In-Forum - 29/09/2012 01:44 - Read 19251 times