East African block warns S. Sudanese factions over ceasefire violation
Xinhua,March 27, 2018 Adjust font size:
ADDIS ABABA, March 26 (Xinhua) -- The Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) Council of Ministers on Monday warned actions against South Sudanese parties that violate a recently signed Cessation of Hostilities Agreement (COHA).
The latest call was made during the 61th Extra-Ordinary Session of IGAD council of ministers, which was held in the Ethiopian capital of Addis Ababa.
The meeting mainly focused on South Sudan's peace process as well as other regional issues, according to the Ethiopian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Fresh fighting has erupted in several parts of South Sudan as the warring factions prepare for the third round of peace talks in Ethiopia.
The South Sudanese army and the main rebel group, the Sudan People's Liberation Army-In Opposition (SPLA-IO), have accused each other of starting the latest fighting.
Ethiopian State Minister of Foreign Affairs Hirut Zemene called on all parties to the peace process to further commit themselves to ending the suffering of the South Sudanese people.
IGAD Special Envoy Ismail Wais, who made a report on the developments in South Sudan since the second phase of the High Level Revitalization Forum (HLRF), urged all parties to to continue to adhere to the Cessation of Hostilities Agreement and make necessary compromises and seize what he called "this historic opportunity to bring peace to South Sudan."
The East African block's council of ministers decided to hold the upcoming Revitalization Forum on April 26, according to the ministry.
The second phase of the Revitalization Forum, which was held in February in Addis Ababa, was suspended for an undetermined period to give warring sides more time to reach conclusive agreement.
The conflict in South Sudan started as a dispute between President Salva Kiir and his ex-deputy Riek Machar but has since morphed to one involving several sides, which complicated the international communities' efforts to restore peace to the world's youngest nation. Enditem