Leaders of South Sudan Agreed to Stop Violence

The president of South Sudan, Salva Kiir, and the rebel leader, Riek Machar, signed Friday night in Addis Ababa agreement of ceasefire to stop the violence that has plagued the youngest country in the world for nearly five months. Kiir and Machar agreed to respect the ceasefire after coming face to face for the first time since last December, but refused to shake hands in public and address the differences are distancing them.

The South Sudanese president guaranteed that the part of the conflict it represents ” apply the entire agreement.” “I am the president of South Sudan and I’m still the leader of that country. Accept the responsibility, good or bad, for the people who elected me,” he added.

Although ” happy” to sign the agreement, Machar wanted to clarify that his opposition party ” did not plan any coup ” against the government, an argument used by Kiir to start fighting. “I am sure that President Salva Kiir has come to the same conclusion, that there was no coup,” snapped the rebel.

Ethiopian Prime Minister Hailemariam Dessalegn, warned both leaders – who have repeatedly violated the ceasefire agreed last January 23, that ” the international community will not stand idly by while the killings continue.”

The Secretary General’s Special UN envoy Haile Menkorios, expressed the commitment of the UN to ” assist the parties in implementing the agreement.”

U.S. Secretary of State, John Kerry, welcomed the agreement that would ” make a breakthrough ” for the future of the country. Both Kerry and the UN secretary general, Ban Ki Moon, visited South Sudan last week to urge both parties involved in the conflict to maintain an open dialogue that would facilitate the resolution of the crisis.

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Posted by Shakira Subhani on May 12 2014. Filed under Africa. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.