Three Western countries have called on South Sudanese parties to step up efforts to fully implement the peace agreement to ensure a lasting solution to the conflict.
A joint statement from the U.S., U.K., and Norway on Tuesday called on the factions to boost their efforts and support for the peace process so that the proposed transitional government can be actualized.
South Sudan still has four months to the deadline of the pre-transitional period.
“We call on the parties to redouble their efforts to resolve the most pressing remaining issues, which include ensuring agreed security reforms, are delivered, through the mobilization of necessary support,” the troika said in a joint statement issued in Juba.
The signatories to the peace agreement agreed on 3 May to extend the period for the formation of a transitional government by six months following delays in the implementation of the pact over unresolved security issues.
The three nations also expressed their support for the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) in its quest to broker lasting peace in South Sudan.
The country has been dogged by a civil war since December 2013, sparked by a feud between President Salva Kiir and his former deputy Riek Machar.
President Kiir accused Machar of plotting a coup against his administration, allegations the latter refuted but 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, coming third worldwide after Syria and Afghanistan.
The latest peace deal will see the formation of a transitional joint government that will bring together the various factions, with national elections to be held in the future.
The troika said it stands by the people of South Sudan and looks forward to working with the peace agreement’s mandated reconstituted transitional government to support a successful transitional period.
