An attempt to revitalize South Sudan’s peace agreement got a boost on Friday, as the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) foreign affairs ministers met with President Salva Kiir and other stakeholders in the capital Juba for consultations.
The government there says it is hopeful that the process will bring peace back to the country.
“I am very optimistic about this process and I think this process is going to end in a positive note, it will bring peace and reconciliation and implementation of the peace agreement,” South Sudanese foreign affairs minister Deng Alor Kuol said.
Uganda has urged the country to focus on silencing the guns there and to ensure lasting peace.
“The revitalization process is important so that different groups which have been talking and we are seeing many groups now so that we can all get together and push for implementation, initially cease-fire and then implementation of the agreement,” Ugandan foreign affairs minister Sam Kutesa said.
South Sudan descended into war in December 2013 following President Salva Kiir’s accusations that his then deputy Riek Macharw as plotting a coup against his government. Machar denied the allegations but then went on to mobilize a rebel force to fight the government.
The war has killed tens of thousands and displaced millions others, prompting the United Nations to rank the country as Africa’s biggest refugee crisis.
The international community is now urging the warring factions to engage in dialogue to end the war.
