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The head of the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) Nicholas Haysom wants South Sudan President Salva Kiir and Vice President Riek Machar to urgently meet and address their differences constructively to reduce tensions in the country.

Haysom also wants the two leaders to jointly address the nation as a show of unity.

“The parties must de-escalate the current political tensions now before it is too late. There is only one path out of this cycle of conflict, and that is through the Revitalized Agreement,” Haysom told a meeting of the African Union Peace and Security Council on Tuesday.

“We need to look no further than across the northern border to Sudan for a stark reminder of how quickly countries can descend into catastrophic war. To avoid this outcome in South Sudan, there must be an immediate return by the parties to consensus-based decision-making.”

Haysom also appealed to the African Union (AU) High-Level Ad hoc Committee for South Sudan (C5) and the Panel of the Wise to facilitate dialogue amongst the South Sudanese leadership to ensure active conflict mitigation.

“The overriding imperative now is to direct all our efforts to prevent a relapse into war, support the full implementation of the agreement, and progress the transition towards the country’s first democratic elections.”

Hostilities escalated in Nasir and neighboring Ulang County following the outbreak of fighting between the South Sudan People’s Defense Forces (SSPDF) and the White Army on March 4.

On March 7, a UN helicopter came under fire from the White Army militia group, resulting in the deaths of numerous South Sudan People’s Defense Forces soldiers, including a general, as well as one UN personnel.

The ongoing violence in South Sudan has already displaced 50,000 people, including 10,000 who have crossed into neighboring Ethiopia, UN Humanitarian Coordinator for South Sudan Anita Kiki Gbeho warned on Tuesday.