Mark Itsibor
Ban Ki-moon, United Nations Secretary-General has welcomed the signing of a peace deal between opposition factions in South Sudan.
In a statement, the UN boss called on President Salva Kiir and opposition Riek Machar, his former deputy to immediately implement the accord; while urging the leaders of the young nation to show commitment to the agreement towards ending year-long conflict that has claimed many lives.
The peace accord titled, Reunification of the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement, SPLM was signed on January 21 by leaders of both factions and it is the third in a year.
An initial ceasefire pact was agreed on January 23, 2014 between the two sides in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. It was reaffirmed in early May, the same year.
Welcoming the new deal, Ki-moon told the parties that “time is running out,” and called on them to use the opportunity of the Intergovernmental Authority on Development, IGAD Summit, fixed for later this year, to reach a final agreement on the end to the conflict, including a power-sharing formula and measures to address its root causes and ensure accountability, a statement on the UN website said.
The political in-fighting between Kiir and Machar started in mid-December 2013. The crisis, which started as a result of political disagreement between the President and his deputy has turned into a full-blown conflict leading to the death of about 100,000 civilians, while close to 2 million others have been displaced.
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