Addis Ababa (AFP) - East African leaders warned South Sudan's warring rivals Thursday they must "come to their senses" to end almost 11 months of bloodshed amid renewed threats of international sanctions.
"There appears to be little appetite for peace, while the people of South Sudan continue bearing the full brunt of conflict," Ethiopian Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalgen said at a summit of regional leaders pushing for a peace deal.
"That the patience of the international community is wearing thin is hopefully not lost on both sides," Hailemariam told both South Sudan President Salva Kiir and rebel chief Riek Machar in the Ethiopian capital.
The meeting of six regional leaders -- as well as Kiir and Machar -- follows fresh UN Security Council warnings this week of possible sanctions to stem violence that has left thousands dead and forced almost two million from their homes.
War broke out in December, when Kiir accused his sacked deputy Riek Machar of trying to stage a coup, with the violence broadening into an ethnic conflict and now including more than 20 different armed groups.
Repeated peace efforts and ceasefire deals have failed.
"We will use all the influence we can to bring the two sides back to reason," Hailemariam, warning them of "the futility of trying to fight conflict out."
[1]Internally displaced South Sudanese women return to the flooded UNMISS compound in Bentiu on October …
Kiir and rebel chief Machar met last month in Tanzania, shaking hands and accepting mutual responsibility for the war, which has been marked by widespread human rights abuses and atrocities by both sides. There has since been fierce fighting in several areas.
It was their first meeting since they signed a ceasefire in August, which, like three previous agreements, swiftly collapsed.
- 'Stop the bloodshed' -
Fierce fighting in Unity and Upper Nile states last month marked an end to a brief lull in hostilities and coincides with the end of the rainy season, which made many roads impassable, raising fears of a looming escalation in the war.
"We owe it to the people of South Sudan to once again urge our brothers to put their people first, to stop the bloodshed and the degeneration of the humanitarian situation in their country," African Union chief Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma said at the meeting, which also included the leaders of Djibouti, Kenya, Somalia, Sudan and Uganda.
All are members of east Africa's IGAD bloc, which is mediating currently stalled peace talks.
Hailemariam, current IGAD chairman, said "progress so far has been frustrating, if not gloomy indeed."
The United States, a key backer of South Sudan's independence three years ago, warned rivals that "serious compromise" was needed.
"We believe South Sudan cannot achieve peace and reconciliation via a system that will result in a winner-take-all or winner-take-most solution," US envoy Donal Booth said at the start of the talks.
"Peace requires accountability for atrocity so that the thirst for revenge can be quenched."
Closed door meetings were expected to continue late into the night Thursday.
Regional nations including Ethiopia, Kenya and Uganda have had to cope with 467,000 refugees who have fled the war.
Uganda has also sent in troops to back Kiir's forces, while Ethiopia and Kenya have sent troops to bolster the UN peacekeeping mission.
- Politics & Government
- Unrest, Conflicts & War
- South Sudan
- Riek Machar
References
- ^ Internally displaced South Sudanese women return to … (news.yahoo.com)
Source http://news.yahoo.com/east-africa-leaders-push-south-sudan-peace-004511064.html
Newer articles:
- 'Wave South Sudan' Promotes Unity, Peace Via Social Media - 07/11/2014 20:18
- South Sudan Lawmakers to Kiir: Don't Sign National Security Bill - 07/11/2014 20:17
- South Sudan rivals under pressure to end civil war - 07/11/2014 11:19
- South Sudan: Snapshots of a Divided Country - 07/11/2014 07:25
- IGAD mediator says not keen on sanctions in South Sudan - 06/11/2014 19:46
Older news items
- Joseph Kony is hiding out on Sudan border, report claims - 06/11/2014 10:52
- South Sudan: Security Council condemns outburst of deadly violence, urges peace - 06/11/2014 09:59
- South Sudan: Security Council strongly condemns outburst of deadly violence, urges peace - 05/11/2014 23:42
- After War, South Sudan Refugees Struggle in Ethiopia - 05/11/2014 18:56
- U.S. says to propose UN sanctions regime for South Sudan - 05/11/2014 09:11
Latest news items (all categories):
- The Emerging Endgame of the Russo-Ukrainian War - 05/08/2026 22:59
- The changing face of “Made in China” - 05/08/2026 22:41
- UK - Change of His Majesty’s Ambassador to South Sudan: Rebecca Fabrizi - 05/08/2026 22:09
- South Sudan rewriting its future with eyes on agriculture and mining boom - 05/08/2026 21:53
- Moroccan king's letter confirms naming of major highway in honour of Trump - 05/08/2026 21:52
Random articles (all categories):
- UNMISS peacekeepers donate blood to help protect and prolong the lives of those they serve - 22/05/2026 14:25
- South Sudan aid group says detained workers released - 14/03/2017 07:46
- UNHCR - Internal/External Vacancy Notice : ICT Associate, G-6, (PN 10018726), Bunj - 28/04/2016 16:53
- Juba forum explores ways to advance the status of women in South Sudan (Joshua Mmali) - 24/05/2019 12:51
- South Sudan's govt forms committee to investigate Optimum Aviation plane crash - 09/11/2021 03:06
Popular articles:
- Who is the darkest person in the world, according to Guinness World Record? - 25/10/2022 02:34 - Read 148334 times
- School exam results in South Sudan show decline - 01/04/2012 17:58 - Read 27920 times
- Top 10 weakest currency exchange rates in Africa in 2023 - 19/07/2023 00:24 - Read 25004 times
- No oil in troubled waters - 25/03/2014 15:02 - Read 24330 times
- NDSU student from South Sudan receives scholarship - In-Forum - 29/09/2012 01:44 - Read 22286 times
