South Sudan rivals sign new truce agreement
RIGHT TO LEFT: Somalia Prime Minister Abdiweli Sheikh Ahmed, South Sudan President Salva Kiir, Ethiopian Prime Minister Hailemariam Dessalegn, Kenya President Uhuru Kenyatta and Riek Machar look on as representatives of Salva Kiir and Riek Machar sign the Matrix on the Implementation of Cessation of Hostilities. PHOTO | PSCU | NATION MEDIA GROUP |
ADDIS ABABA
South Sudan’s warring leaders signed a fresh ceasefire deal Tuesday vowing to end more than eight months of conflict, according to mediators who threatened sanctions should the agreement fail once again.
East Africa’s regional IGAD bloc, which mediated the talks between President Salva Kiir and his sacked deputy Riek Machar, called on the leaders to forge a unity government within 45 days.
Thousands of people have been killed and more than 1.8 million have fled civil war sparked by a power struggle between Kiir and Machar, who met Monday for the first time in more than two months.
An IGAD communique welcomed the “signature by the warring parties” to the deal, “which obliges the parties to bring the conflict to an end”.
Three previous ceasefire commitments have been broken within hours.
“As a region, we have to show that any party which violates agreements that there are consequences to misbehaviour,” Ethiopian Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn said at the summit of east African leaders.
“We are sending a clear message to the leaders of South Sudan. So delaying in the procedure will not be acceptable — if not the region will take action.” Kiir and Machar last met in June, when they agreed to form a unity government within 60-days.
Meanwhile, Three people were killed and one injured when a UN cargo helicopter crashed in South Sudan’s northern warzone region of Unity state, the UN said on Tuesday. The UN mission said it had “dispatched a search and rescue team” to the area, about 10 kilometres from the northern oil town of Bentiu.