Machar was reinstated as vice president in February as part of a deal to end the country’s civil war.
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Violence flared in South Sudan on July 8 after fighting broke out between troops loyal to President Kiir and former Vice President Riek Machar, leading to deaths of hundreds and displacement of tens of thousands people.
In the wake of deadly violence in Juba in mid-July between Kiir’s troops and soldiers loyal to opposition leader Riek Machar, the Security Council authorized a 4,000-strong regional protection force as part of the 12,000-strong United Nations peacekeeping mission already on the ground, known as UNMISS.
“What we need to do now is move from those very important high-level commitments into working up the modalities in an operational way”, she said.
Church leaders carry strong moral authority in Christian-majority South Sudan.
The Council also met with the chairperson of the Joint Monitoring and Evaluation Commission (JMEC), Festus Mogae, who leads the body responsible for overseeing the implementation of the August 2015 peace agreement.
The council has mandated the force until December 15.
“I want to assure the people of South Sudan that the rumour that the United Nations has come to impose on us and bring in foreign forces to take the freedom of our country is not there”, said Government Affairs Minister Martin Elia Lomoro.
However, it’s uncertain the additional force will be able to protect the local populations or bring stability to the war-torn country.
“There really is no time to delay, given the acute humanitarian needs of the population and the insecurity that has plagued many parts of the country”, said the US ambassador to the UN, Samantha Power, leading the delegation, after her arrival for a three-day visit.
United Nations peacekeepers now protect almost 200,000 civilians at six sites around the country.
The assurances were offered at a news conference in Juba as a Security Council delegation started a four-day visit to the turbulent country at the weekend.
Several witnesses have told The Associated Press that some women and girls going outside to look for food were raped by South Sudanese soldiers near the camp, while United Nations peacekeepers didn’t intervene. “I know I would go and take that risk for my children, I think any mother would”. Desalegn, who chairs IGAD assured the Council’s members that chiefs of staffs of respective armies in the region were making preparations to deploy the forces to Juba “soon”. Another 4.6 million are severely food insecure.
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Paleki Ayang, director of the South Sudan Women Empowerment Network, told the council her monthly salary had dropped from $2,000 more than two years ago to $80.
