The United Nations peacekeeping chief has wrapped up a three-day visit to South Sudan, promising to expedite the deployment of the regional protection force.
During his visit to the war-ravaged nation, Jean-Pierre Lacroix met with President Salva Kiir, with whom he discussed the IGAD-led peace initiative.
The three day fact finding mission took him to some of the worst affected regions by the violence in South Sudan.
In Malakal, he visited a UN protection of civilians’ site, housing more than 30,000 people where he met some of those displaced by the fighting.
Speaking to Journalists back in the capital Juba, Lacroix said plans were at an advanced stage to deploy a rapid reaction force.
“We are making every possible effort to expedite that process and we are encouraging the troop contributing countries also to do their best to have as rapid a deployment as possible; and certainly we also need the support and cooperation of the South Sudanese Government to help in expediting the procedures that are needed to operationalize the deployment of the RPF (rapid protection force),” he said.
He however noted that the fighting has to stop, to give peace a chance.
South Sudan has been at war since December 2013 following President Salva Kiir’s allegations that his then-deputy Riesk Machar was plotting a coup against his government.
Machar denied the allegations but then went on to mobilize a rebel force to fight the government.
A peace deal signed in 2015 has continually been violated by the warring factions, prompting warning by the UN early this year that the country risked sliding into genocide.
The fighting has killed thousands and forced millions to flee their homes.
The UN in April ranked the country as Africa’s biggest refugee crisis, and the third in the world after Syria and Afghanistan.
Lacroix says he held talks with President Kiir over the IGAD initiative “towards the revitalization of the peace agreement”, and praised efforts by regional countries engaged in seeking a peaceful solution.
