UNSC delegation visits South Sudan to press for peace deal implementation

 

A delegation of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) has arrived in South Sudan to follow up on the implementation of a peace agreement that ended years of conflict between various factions of the country's ruling party.

South Sudan President Salva Kiir met the delegation on Thursday to discuss the implementation of sections of the revitalized peace agreement related to security, the presidency said in a statement.

The UNSC delegation "said achieving peace is a collective responsibility," the statement, issued late Thursday, said.

"They pledged to provide enormous support to the government of South Sudan to attain peace and stability."

The revitalized peace agreement led to the formation of the transitional government of South Sudan, which was formed in February 2020, Xinhua news agency reported.

However, the biggest setback to the process remains the requirement for the reunification of the armed forces.

The deal to reunite the forces of the Sudan People's Liberation Movement or Army (SPLM/A) was expected to be implemented as part of the preliminary phase of the peace agreement.

There have been fears that the failure to comprehensively implement the security arrangements of the peace pact could lead to the unraveling of the peace agreement.

At the meeting on Thursday, the UNSC delegation urged President Kiir to steadily implement the aspects of the revitalized peace agreement effectively ahead of the next review phase, which will be undertaken on April 15, 2022.

According to the statement, the UNSC delegation also "came to seek information on the impacts of sanctions on the development and on the activities of the government of South Sudan and the way forward."

The Security Council is expected to issue a new report, which will serve as a foundation for consideration of lifting the sanctions on South Sudan.

At the meeting, President Kiir also urged the delegation "not to rely on the information about South Sudan from the sources that have no base and not accurate, but rather seek information about the nation from the right channels in order to make right decisions."

"Otherwise, they will continue to make wrong decisions based on the wrong information given to them about South Sudan from the wrong channels," the President said, according to the statement.

South Sudan descended into conflict in December 2013, following a political dispute between President Kiir and his Deputy, Machar, that caused a split within the Army, leaving soldiers loyal to their respective leaders to fight.

A peace deal signed in 2015 collapsed in the aftermath of renewed violence in July 2016.