December 19th 2019 (Nyamilepedia) – The United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has urged South Sudan’s parties to maintain ceasefire saying such activity was paramount for maintaining peace in the world’s youngest nation.
Speaking before the UN Security Council in New York on Friday, Guterres expressed concerns on recent fighting between government and holdout opposition forces in several parts of Central and Western Equatoria regions.
Guterres who said there were 17 registered clashes between South Sudan government forces and holdout opposition National Salvation Front (NAS) urged the parties to maintain ceasefire saying it was the responsibility of the leaders to do so.
“It must be emphasized that the ceasefire is a fundamental achievement of the peace process. As the leaders move forward, maintaining the ceasefire must remain paramount, and the responsibility for it lies with them,” he told the Security Council Tuesday.
“The United Nations stands ready to continue to support the parties through this process to ensure that the resolution of outstanding tasks can be attained. The parties need to move forward to accomplish outstanding tasks and to build the confidence and trust that South Sudan so desperately needs,” Guterres added.
Guterres further urged the parties to “commit themselves to a process of negotiation, compromise and political settlement. To this end, I call upon the parties to agree to a defined process and mechanism to forge a way forward in the spirit of peace and compromise.”
