UN urges immediate application of S. Sudan unity deal

United Nations (United States) (AFP) - UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon called Friday for the "immediate" implementation of a political deal signed by South Sudan's warring factions, in an effort to help end their year-old civil war.

President Salva Kiir and rebel leader Riek Machar signed the pact Wednesday in the northern Tanzanian city of Arusha to bring together the rival camps of the ruling Sudan People's Liberation Movement (SPLM).

Ban "calls for its immediate implementation, particularly the recommitment of President Salva Kiir and Dr Riek Machar to respect the cessation of hostilities agreement, and encourages the signatories to resolve the leadership issues of the SPLM," his spokesman said in a statement.

Fighting continues on the ground, after five previous agreements failed.

Ban "reminds the parties that time is running out," the UN statement said.

"He urges them to use the opportunity of the forthcoming IGAD Summit to reach a final agreement on the end to the conflict, including a power-sharing formula and measures to address its root causes and ensure accountability."

IGAD, which stands for Intergovernmental Authority on Development, is an eight-country trade block.

Fighting broke out in newly-independent South Sudan in December 2013, when Kiir accused his sacked deputy Machar of attempting a coup.

The escalating war split the SPLM along ethnic lines and set off a cycle of retaliatory battles and massacres across the country that have left tens of thousands dead and pushed the country to the brink of famine.

• Politics & Government
• Riek Machar
• South Sudan
• Ban Ki-moon
• SPLM