The promise of peace and justice in South Sudan has been “squandered” and the country is “poised on the brink of an abyss”, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said Thursday.
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The Security Council voted unanimously Friday to extend the mission until August 12 to give diplomats more time to consider other options such as the inclusion of regional force to beef-up the United Nations mission and a possible arms embargo.
Fighting has been raging in South Sudan’s capital Juba between troops loyal to the president and opposition forces. The UN refugee agency has reported that thousands of South Sudanese, mostly women and children, have crossed into Uganda since fighting erupted, including an estimated 8,337 refugees on 21 July, setting a single-day record since the influx began in 2016.
Asked whether the United Nations recognized Machar or Deng Gai as South Sudan’s First Vice President, the U.N. spokesperson Farhan Haq said, “We have made clear that such appointments need to be made in accordance with the provisions of the peace agreement”.
A military official loyal to President Kiir told Sudan Tribune that he believed there have been “heavy losses” on both sides, more than the losses incurred at J1 and Jebel Kujur’s two days of fighting.
Lam Akol was agriculture minister in Kiir’s administration and is the leader of the opposition Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-Democratic Change (SPLM-DC) party.
The meeting issued a statement stressing the importance of taking necessary measures to address the deteriorating humanitarian situations in South Sudan and to prevent collapse of the economy of the new-born state. This could be a way to pressure the pair to make peace, and compel Mr. Kiir to fulfill his part in the treaty. We remind all parties that the peace agreement provides that the Hybrid Court for South Sudan will have jurisdiction over violations of global law committed during the Transitional Period, including those committed during the ongoing violence.
Weapons manufactured by China and sold to Sudan have been funnelled to rebels in South Sudan, where two Chinese peacekeepers were recently killed.
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The Joint Monitoring and Evaluation Commission (JMEC) and global envoys on Sunday urged South Sudan President to stop chasing opposition leader and put the peace deal back to normal course. President Salva Kiir, from the Dinka ethnic group, remains head of the government, while Riek Machar, who is Nuer, leads the breakaway SPLA-IO.
