S.Sudan Peace Deal Monitors Urge Action amid Fears of Collapse

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Ceasefire monitors in South Sudan urged warring forces Thursday to stop fighting amid growing international fears a key peace deal is close to collapse.

Fighting in the nearly two-year long war rages despite an August agreement, said Festus Mogae, who heads the Joint Monitoring and Evaluation Commission (JMEC), set up by the regional IGAD-bloc to ensure the peace deal is implemented.

"The agreement offers the way forward for a peaceful South Sudan, I urge the parties to accelerate the implementation process," the former president of Botswana told reporters in Juba, adding he was deeply concerned at "continued fighting" in northern Unity state.

The United States, Britain and Norway, key backers of the peace process, have warned the deal could collapse if the rivals continue to miss deadlines.

"Each day, the fighting and abuses continue, and an already grave humanitarian situation grows worse," a joint statement late Wednesday read. "We urge South Sudan's leaders to establish the transitional government now and recommit to the timeline of the agreement, or the peace process will unravel."

Civil war began in December 2013 when President Salva Kiir accused his former deputy Riek Machar of planning a coup, setting off a cycle of retaliatory killings that have split the poverty-stricken, landlocked country along ethnic lines.

U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon this week warned that the broken ceasefire and failure to meet deadlines cast doubt on the "commitment to the peace process."

Ban said "grave violations" against children continue -- including killing, rape, maiming and child soldier recruitment -- while "sexual violence remains a key feature" of the war.

"Rape, gang rape, abduction, sexual slavery, forced abortion and mutilation of women's bodies have been perpetrated by all sides," he said in the report.

The conflict has triggered a humanitarian crisis with 2.3 million people forced from their homes and 4.6 million in need of emergency food. Tens of thousands have died and the economy is in ruins.

Comments 1
Default-user-icon OKWERA SIMON PETER (Guest) 26 November 2015, 18:05

This is a tragedy... Please International Bodies(IB) may you never allow our state to return to what it has been going through before, we are tired of blood shed here! Help us...

I want to make a clear communication somewhat here; the Rebels have got no source of funds to keep it from acquiring the basic necessity of life like food, water, medication and many others in their camps and hideouts, where do you expect them to get all these from if not by other undesirable means like violence. I'm making this request to you not because our government cannot provide, it can provide though not to the taste of the affected bodies, rebels and National Security inclusive.

Please reassemble the Rebels Community and provide for them while you keep postponing deadlines. The least is yet to be seen here, do something about it please... Unless you want to take part witnessing atrocities in our land, please do some work while meaningful days are being postponed.