Commentary: A new chapter in South Sudan peace process

The return of a smiling Riek Machar and his immediate swearing in as the first vice president of South Sudan marked the opening of a new chapter in the peace process of the world's youngest nation.

The important development, which came after a war between Machar's rebel force and the government since late 2013, signifies the beginning of national reconciliation and entails a meaningful transition toward eventual peace and stability.

It is by no means an easy achievement for both the ex-rivals of the South Sudan crisis and the international mediation parties.

A brief economic boom immediately following South Sudan's independence in 2011 was disrupted by a civil war that broke out in late 2013. Since then, the war has taken its toll on the economy, killed tens of thousands and displaced more than 2 million people.

With tough lessons learned over the past two years, it is clear that war and chaos leads nowhere but suffering, death and destruction. Only through national reconciliation and peaceful engagement can the parties pave the way for lasting peace and stability.

Now, the world is closely watching the next steps that the parties will take toward that end.

To begin with, the parties should show a genuine determination to move forward with the peace process.

They need to seize the opportunity to speed up the formation of transition government of national unity led by President Salva Kiir.

Full implementation of the peace agreement is also necessary to help realize lasting peace, reconciliation and nation rebuilding.

Despite the important progress in the peace process, serious challenges still remain for the parties and international partners to overcome.

The security situation remains precarious amid intermittent fightings reported in some areas. Some 6 million people are in urgent need of humanitarian assistance. Serious food shortage is threatening the lives of some 2.8 million people.

"The South Sudan peace process is extremely fragile and will require a concerted and sustained effort at national, regional and international levels," said UN peacekeeping chief Herve Ladsous.

It is vital that the international community should continue its constructive role in helping protect a fragile peace and prevent the occurrence of any humanitarian crisis. Endit