Pretoria - Senior United Nations officials are ramping up pressure on the parties to the South Sudanese conflict to finalise a peace agreement that will lead to a transitional government.
The UN has also reiterated its stance that an African Union Commission of Inquiry report into human rights abuses be made public after the AU’s Peace and Security Council deferred the tabling of the report in January until the finalisation of a peace agreement.
The UN has warned that the continued conflict in South Sudan risks depriving the country of a generation of “lost” children, adding that continued economic stagnation would hold back development and prevent support for essential sectors like health and education.
“People need peace, stability and security. It is heartrending to see the suffering of the people,” United Nations humanitarian chief Valerie Amos said in a plea to those engaged in the conflict.
She made her comments at the end of a three-day tour of South Sudan with UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) Special Envoy Forest Whitaker, during which the two saw the impact of the crisis on people caught in the middle of fighting.
Stressing the fact that 2.5 million people urgently need help with food, Amos described the tour she took with Whitaker, who is an Academy Award-winning actor and Goodwill Ambassador for Peace and Reconciliation, through Ayod county in Jonglei state.
“People are desperate for peace. They are tired of living in fear. Many have had to flee several times. They are exhausted. They lack water. They are extremely worried for their children, who are not in school and at risk of being recruited into armed groups. Sexual violence is rife. All people want to live in safety, security and stability.”
During the trip, the two also saw the work of humanitarian organizations, which helped 3.6 million people in the past year, containing a cholera epidemic and vaccinating nearly 1 million children against measles and polio.
Amos said humanitarians showed extraordinary commitment under difficult and dangerous circumstances and drew attention to the 13 humanitarian workers who had died since the conflict began, and the constant threat of kidnapping and looting of supplies and equipment they faced.
The security situation in South Sudan has steadily deteriorated since political in-fighting between President Kiir and his former Vice President Riek Machar started in mid-December 2013.
The hostilities subsequently turned into a full-fledged conflict that has sent nearly 100 000 civilians fleeing to UN bases around that country.
A ceasefire was recently agreed between the two leaders and their respective factions, but without a broader agreement on running the world’s youngest country.
On Monday, donors at the Nairobi pledging conference promised $529 million in new money for that country’s humanitarian needs – a far cry from the $1.8 billion the UN says it needs for South Sudan this year alone. – SAnews.gov.za
