African leaders urged to push for end to S. Sudan war
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September 14, 2017 (KAMPALA) – A senior United States diplomat has
urged leader of the various African countries to put pressure on South
Sudan’s political leaders to enable them end the ongoing civil war.
JPEG - 26.7 kb
President Salva Kiir greets First Vice President Riek Machar before to
start a meeting at the South Sudanese presidency in Juba on 3 June
2016 (Photo Moses Lomayat)
“We think there is more our African colleagues can and should be doing
at this point, especially in terms of focusing on leadership, that
from our point of view is behaving in a way that is very
irresponsible,” Reuters quoted Tom Shannon, U.S. under-secretary for
political affairs at the State Department while speaking at the
sidelines of a U.S-African Partnerships event at the U.S. Institute of
Peace on Thursday.
The conflict in South Sudan broke out in December 2013 following
political disagreements within the ruling Sudan People’s Liberation
Movement (SPLM). The civil war has displaced over 2 million people.
Shannon reportedly described South Sudan’s leaders as being
“intolerant” and that African countries needed to work towards seeing
an end to the war that has killed tens of thousands of people.
“This is a manmade conflict of horrific dimensions, which is about
political leaders measuring each other through force at the cost of
their populations,” the U.S diplomat was further quoted saying.
Last week, the U.S. Treasury Department imposed sanctions and travel
ban that include an asset freeze on South Sudan’s deputy defence
chief, Malek Reuben, the information minister, Michael Makuei Lueth
and the ex-military chief of staff, Paul Malong Awan.
Washington said the sanctions were imposed on the two government
officials and the former general for their alleged roles in
destabilizing the country and “enriching” themselves through
corruption.
Also, during a joint meeting of the UN Security Council and the
African Union Peace and Security Council in Addis Ababa on 8
September, American diplomats again the need for imposition of a UN
arms embargo on South Sudan.
Washington blames Juba for not implementing the peace agreement signed
in August 2015. During the joint meeting, U.S. diplomats also
supported the idea that elections should not be held next year before
the full implementation of the IGAD brokered deal.
One of the countries that recognized South Sudan’s independence in
2011, the U.S played a key role in helping create the 2005
Comprehensive Peace accord (CPA) that laid the groundwork for the 2011
referendum, through which South Sudanese overwhelmingly voted for
independence prior to the country’s secession on 9 July.
Currently, the US government remains the leading international donor
to South Sudan and provides significant humanitarian assistance to the
hundreds of thousands of South Sudanese citizens displaced or
otherwise affected since the start of the country’s crisis in December
2013.
(ST)
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