February 26th 2019 (Nyamilepedia) – A top United States diplomat in South Sudan has urged the warring parties in South Sudan to cease the ongoing military confrontations and continued fighting in Yei River state.
Fighting has continued in Yei River state and some part of the Equatoria region despite the signing of a peace agreement and a ceasefire last year by the parties because some opposition groups including the National Salvation Front (NAS) refused to sign a final agreement with the government.
The NAS which pulled out of South Sudan’s peace talks in the Sudanese capital Khartoum in August last year is one of the groups that refused to sign the agreement because it did not guarantee the federal system of governance and left open the question on the number of states during the transitional period.
Speaking to the Eye Radio today, the US ambassador to South Sudan, Thomas Hushek, urged the warring parties in the Equatoria state to cease fighting saying it will potentially harm the ongoing peace process in the country.
“On the military side, this continued fighting down in Yei is a big threat to the peace process. It has the potential to derail the peace process,” ambassador Hushek said.
He appealed to the warring parties to distant troops from combat zones and from the front-line to allow political solution take effects.
“I call on both sides to really pull back from those lines and stop that fighting. Conflicts do exist, political differences exist but in this peace era, they have to be dealt with non-militarily,” hew said.
