AU delegation concludes S. Sudan visit, vows continued peace efforts

The African Union (AU) has vowed to continue engaging South Sudan's warring parties in dialogue in order to restore peace and stability in the war-torn country.

The remarks were made late Monday as a delegation of the AU Peace and Security Council and the AU Commission concluded its three-day visit to Juba.

Head of the delegation, Catherine Muigai Mwangi, said the team met South Sudanese President Salva Kiir, government officials, and representatives of aid agencies and displaced people.

Renewed fighting between troops of President Kiir and those loyal to sacked First Vice President Riek Machar broke out in early July. Machar has since left South Sudan and is now in South Africa, calling on his supporters to topple Kiir's administration.

The latest round of violence has left hundreds of people dead and tens of thousands displaced.

Mwangi called on South Sudanese to stop violence and instead embrace dialogue.

"Our final word is to urge each and every single South Sudanese to agree to peace, to agree to dialogue," she said.

A peace deal signed between South Sudan's rival leaders under UN pressure last August led to the formation of a unity government in April, but failed to hold.

African heads of states and governments in July recommended the AU Peace and Security Council to carry out a visit to South Sudan to assess the situation on the ground.

Since civil war erupted in December 2013, tens of thousands of South Sudanese have died and more than 2.2 million have been displaced. Another 4.6 million in the country are severely food insecure. Endit