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AU renews commitment to continue working with East African bloc towards lasting solution to crisis in South Sudan

Xinhua, May 14, 2015 Adjust font size:

The African Union (AU) has said it renews its commitment to continue to work with the leadership of the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) to finding a peaceful and lasting way out of the present conflict in South Sudan.

In her latest statement on the situation in the world's youngest nation, Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, Chairperson of AU Commission, has noted that the situation in South Sudan remains extremely fragile and volatile.

In the last three weeks, sustained fighting between the Government of South Sudan and the SPLM (in opposition) has been taking place in the greater Upper Nile region, said AU's statement on Wednesday.

The Chairperson said it is important to work towards the effective implementation of sanctions against all those undermining the quest for peace, violating international humanitarian law and obstructing the efforts of peacekeepers on the ground.

According to the South Sudan Humanitarian Coordinator, since the beginning of May 2015 alone, military activities south of Bentiu, in Unity State, have forced up to 100,000 people to flee their homes.

This is in addition to over the 1.5 million people who have already been uprooted, said the Chairperson, adding more than 2.5 million others are at risk of hunger and disease as a result of the conflict, and massive violations of human rights and destruction of property continue to take place.

"This tragedy is a dark blot on the conscience of the international community in general and Africa in particular. Most alarming in this ongoing humanitarian tragedy is the inability and unwillingness of the South Sudanese parties to agree on a political framework to end the fighting and the suffering of their own people," said Dlamini-Zuma.

Since the inception of the crisis, IGAD, under the chairmanship of Prime Minister Haile Mariam Desalegn of Ethiopia, has made sustained efforts to facilitate the early resolution of this conflict, said the Chairperson.

"I renew the AU's appreciation to the leaders of the region for their commitment," she said.

Against this background, the Chairperson said marked by a catastrophic humanitarian situation and deadlocked political talks, the imperative of renewed efforts, cannot be overemphasized. Endi