S Sudan factions urged to respect ceasefire deal
Iran Press TV
Fri Jan 31, 2014 6:42PM GMT
The Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) mediation team has urged both sides of the conflict in South Sudan to respect and quickly implement the recently signed ceasefire deal.
Ambassador Seyoum Mesfin, IGAD's Chief Mediator for South Sudan, made the remarks on Friday during IGAD's Extraordinary Summit at the African Union headquarters in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa.
In addition, Mesfin said failure to fully adhere to the ceasefire agreement on the part of South Sudanese government or rebels poses a threat to the next phase of the peace process.
The chief mediator also urged both sides to urgently address the critical humanitarian crises and provide protection as well as assistance to the displaced people of South Sudan.
On January 23, the South Sudanese government and rebels led by former vice president Riek Machar, signed the ceasefire deal to end weeks of heavy fighting in the country, but combat has yet to end as reports indicate continued clashes in the world's youngest nation.
The fighting erupted on December 15, 2013, after the South Sudanese president Salva Kiir accused Machar of attempting to stage a coup against his government.
Although Machar rejected the accusations, clashes between the two sides became more intense.
Aid groups say up to 10,000 people have lost their lives in the fighting and more than 700,000 people have been displaced due to the violence. Some 124,000 people have also fled to neighboring countries.
South Sudan gained independence in July 2011 after its people overwhelmingly voted in a referendum for a split from the North.
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