By Reuters,
U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Saturday expressed deep disappointment after troubled talks to end more than a year of bloodshed in South Sudan broke off without a deal a day earlier.
Friday’s adjournment was the latest impasse in negotiations over the world’s youngest country, where a political row between President Salva Kiir and his sacked deputy Riek Machar triggered a conflict that has killed more than 10,000 people.
“(Ban) expresses his profound disappointment following the unsuccessful conclusion of the (East African bloc) IGAD-led peace talks and the failure of President Salva Kiir and former Vice President Riek Machar to display statesmanship and reach an agreement on power-sharing,” the U.N. press office said.
The U.N. statement said Ban “recalls” the Security Council’s newly established sanctions regime, though it did not explicitly call for anyone to be sanctioned.
It added that Ban appealed for a resumption of the peace talks, noting that “he strongly urges both parties to refrain from any attempt to escalate the conflict.”
U.S. State Department deputy spokeswoman Marie Harf on Friday issued a sharp rebuke to Kiir and Machar for not reaching an agreement.
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US “Strongly” Condemns South Sudan’s Failed Peace Talks
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By Sudan Tribune,
THE United States has strongly condemned what it described as lack of political leadership to resolve South Sudan’s conflict, despite pledges from the warring parties.
The over one-year conflict, it said, has hugely cost the nation.
“Along with the many friends and partners of South Sudan, we continue to work closely with the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) in its efforts to bring an end to this senseless conflict,” said Marie Harf, the US Department deputy spokesperson.
South Sudan’s president, Salva Kiir and opposition leader, Riek Machar on Friday failed to agree on a permanent peace deal, despite pledging to end the conflict that has killed thousands and displaced nearly two million people since it broke out in 2013.
“The conflict in South Sudan is a tragedy for its people”, stressed the statement, which cited the millions of people displace in the country’s worsening security crisis.
“The entire region is facing economic, security, and humanitarian costs from this conflict. There is no excuse for further fighting, and we will ensure that those who commit acts of violence—or otherwise undermine efforts toward peace—are held accountable,” it added.
Failure in the negotiations mediated by the East African regional bloc (IGAD) came days after the United Nations Security Council adopted a resolution calling for sanctions in South Sudan.
“We thus look forward to the UN Security Council’s planned review of the situation, as called for by Resolution 2206, which the Security Council passed unanimously this week,” further reads the statement.
The US, however, vowed to work with its Troika partners to support vigorous efforts for ending the conflict. It also pledged to work with IGAD, the African Union, and other international partners to urgently seek a way forward in view of the violence in South Sudan.
“We must speak with one voice, making clear our collective resolve to assist the South Sudanese people in ending this tragedy”.
