What Others Say About South Sudan's Crisis These are selected reports from external media reports about the recent ceasefire declaration by President Kiir. 25 May 2017 South Sudan President Order Army To Stop Attacks on Rebels Positions: South Sudan President Salva Kiir on Wednesday directed the army to not attack the position of armed opposition forces after declaring a unilateral ceasefire, saying it was time to proof the world who was looking for peace and who are instead in war. " I know they will be attacking your positions after learning declaration of the ceasefire. They will be provoking you but do not respond, don't move out of your positions. This is the message you need to deliver to the division commanders and the brigade commanders tell this is the message from me and they should comply," President Salva Kiir told the chief of defence staff on Wednesday. The president congratulated the military officers whom he has given new assignments after restructuring the army, telling it was time to work together as one body and cohesive command. Susan Tribune U.S., Britain, UN, Wary of South Sudan Ceasefire Announcement: The United States, Britain and the United Nations were skeptical on Wednesday of South Sudan President Salva Kiir's declaration of a unilateral ceasefire, noting that it coincides with the start of the rainy season that traditionally lessens fighting. Kiir also said on Monday he would release political prisoners, but with no sign of a political deal with rebels it was not clear whether a ceasefire would take hold. U.N. South Sudan envoy David Shearer welcomed the announcements, but warned they would be closely scrutinized. U.N. peacekeepers have been deployed since South Sudan gained independence from Sudan in 2011. "The proof of the pudding, as they say, is in the eating," Shearer told the U.N. Security Council on Wednesday. Reuters UN Envoy: South Sudan Ceasing Military Action as Rains Arrive: South Sudan is experiencing significant military action and a last push to position combatant forces because the rainy season has arrived and roads will soon become unpassable for about four months, the U.N. envoy for the conflict-wracked African country said Wednesday. David Shearer told the U.N. Security Council that while the rains may bring a respite to large-scale military maneuvers, they greatly complicate the delivery of humanitarian aid and bring "the inevitable specter of cholera," with 7,700 cases already reported. There were high hopes that South Sudan would have peace and stability after its independence from neighboring Sudan in 2011. But the country plunged into ethnic violence in December 2013 when forces loyal to President Salva Kiir, a Dinka, started battling those loyal to Riek Machar, his former vice president who is a Nuer. AP
African Union, UN Seek Political Solution for South Sudan: The African Union and the United Nations are seeking a political solution to the South Sudan crisis, after the August 2015 peace agreement failed and the East African region appeared to lose interest in the peace process. African Union Commission chairperson Moussa Faki and UN Secretary-General African Union Commission chairperson Moussa Faki and UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres have now taken the lead in lobbying the world to help South Sudan, where the war that started in 2013 has morphed into multiple inter-ethnic conflicts. Since taking over the chairmanship in March, Mr Faki has been in talks with the AU High Representative for South Sudan, former Malian president Alpha Oumar Konare, on a new initiative that would involve Igad and the UN. The East African Posted in: Home - See more at: http://gurtong.net/ECM/Editorial/tabid/124/ID/20499/Default.aspx#sthash.3UTZUQmA.dpuf -- To post to this group, send email to [email protected] To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected] Visit this group at https://groups.google.com/d/forum/southsudankob View this message at https://groups.google.com/d/msg/southsudankob/topic-id/message-id For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout --- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "South Sudan Info - The Kob" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. Visit this group at https://groups.google.com/group/SouthSudanKob. To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/SouthSudanKob/CAJb14orbkDRLKz_zZvC0TKz%3DTjL--ihdKJDP%2BJ2-dmac6Qdy8Q%40mail.gmail.com. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.
