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UN chief urges more efforts towards final peace deal in South Sudan

Xinhua, February 4, 2015 Adjust font size:

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki- moon on Tuesday called for greater efforts towards a final and comprehensive peace agreement in South Sudan after the signing of a ceasefire deal between the warring parties.

Ban emphasized that "no sustainable peace will be found in South Sudan unless its leaders place the interests of the civilian population above their own," said Ban's spokesperson Stephane Dujarric in a statement to the press.

Under the mediation of the Inter-Governmental Authority on Development (IGAD), South Sudanese President Salva Kiir and his opposition, former vice president Riek Machar, signed a ceasefire agreement in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, Monday.

The document commits the parties to agreeing a final and comprehensive peace agreement no later than March 5 this year.

According to the spokesman, Ban "urges them to prepare for the next round of talks with the intent to expeditiously end the conflict," and "underscores the urgent need for them to agree on a comprehensive and inclusive peace agreement" in a manner consistent with international standards.

The Secretary-General also commended the mediators and the IGAD for their tireless efforts and commitments to broker a peace agreement in South Sudan, while offering UN's readiness to assist them, along with other partners, in their efforts to engage the South Sudanese parties.

Political in-fighting between President Kiir and Machar, his former deputy, started in mid-December 2013 and subsequently turned into a full-fledged conflict that has sent nearly 100,000 civilians fleeing to bases around the country protected by the UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS). The crisis has uprooted an estimated 1.9 million people and placed more than 7 million at risk of hunger and disease.

Fighting still continues in the country though the warring parties have reached agreements for cessation of hostilities and commitments for implementation of the agreements. Endite