Brussels, 23/02/2015 (Agence Europe) - At the start of a new round of negotiations to try to bring peace to South Sudan, the European Union launched a fresh call to both parties in the conflict, on Sunday 22 February, to negotiate in good faith and respect the imperative 5 March deadline to put an end to the hostilities that have been going on for over a year (see EUROPE 11247).
The negotiations currently under way are being conducted in Addis Ababa (Ethiopia) under the aegis of the intergovernmental authority on development (IGAD).
“Both leaders committed to be present for the duration of the negotiations. We expect them to be so. The EU calls on President Salva Kiir and opposition leader Riek Machar not to miss another opportunity to deliver on their commitments”, says the spokesperson for the European External Action Service (EEAS) in an official statement.
“The recent decision of the government of South Sudan to modify the constitution to extend the mandate of the president and the national legislature must not be used as a reason to delay reaching a peace agreement beyond 5 March. Every additional day that passes increases the risk of renewed conflict and worsens the already dreadful humanitarian situation of the long suffering people of South Sudan”, the statement continues.
Condemning the abduction of a group of young children in Wau Shilluk on 21 February to become child soldiers - which is “is yet another illustration of the complete disregard by the parties for respect of fundamental human rights” - the EU calls for the end to impunity. (Aminata Niang)