A spokesman for the United Nations secretary-general said in a statement Tuesday that Ban Ki-moon “expresses his strong hope that President Kiir will sign the agreement by the end of the 15-day deadline” and urges an immediate end to the fighting. The U.S. Treasury Department in July issued sanctions against two South Sudanese warlords on each side of the conflict, but neither Kiir nor Machar were affected.
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The agreement lacks any worldwide oversight or direct responsibility of the parties to move the process forward, he said.
Uganda, which shares border with South Sudan has over 2,500 troops deployed in Juba and Bor to help protect the government from being over-run by the rebel forces. No one from the government was immediately available to comment.
Kiir watched the signing, after briefly shaking palms with Machar.
New Zealand Permanent Representative Gerard van Boheman noted that the draft resolution stipulated an arms embargo and additional sanctions should the peace agreement fail to be signed.
The elder Julius said his son had been with a girlfriend earlier in the night who lived in the same area as the journalist near the South Sudan Breweries Limited complex.
The U.S. circulated a draft proposal Wednesday evening and diplomats said they expected a vote very soon.
“If the government will not sign up to the IGAD-plus deal, then we must all be firm on our next steps”, British Deputy Ambassador Peter Wilson told the 15-member Security Council.
South Sudan’s major rebel group on Tuesday accused government forces of attacking their posts at Imatong mountains shortly after reaching a peace deal in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
“We are deeply disappointed that the government of South Sudan under President Kiir yet again squandered the opportunity to bring peace to their people by refusing to sign the agreement”, National Security Adviser Susan Rice said in the statement.
Meanwhile, Kiir still has to balance the demands of his country’s hardliners who oppose conceding to Machar’s rebels.
Par Kuol said the rebels had thought Kiir would sign the agreement because he showed up in the room where it was to be signed.
Deloire added: “As regards Peter Moi’s murder, South Sudan’s authorities must ensure that an independent, impartial and thorough investigation is carried out in order to quickly provide Moi’s family with answers”.
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Like a barometer of conflict, the UN said Monday that the number sheltering inside its peacekeeping bases had risen by a third in just over a month to almost 200,000 civilians.
