UN chief calls for a peaceful solution in South Sudan

Addis Ababa, January 31, 2017 (SSNA) — The United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres called on the African Union to work for the betterment of the continent and find a peaceful political solution in South Sudan, adding Africa could prevent conflicts by embracing sustainable and inclusive development.

At a news conference in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Abba, Guterres explained that he had high hope during his tenure as UN High Commissioner for Refugees and that he was hoping South Sudanese refugees who he visited in 2005 would have a peace and prosperous future.

“…I was High Commissioner for Refugees and when I started my functions the 15th of June 2005, the 18th of June I was in Uganda in a refugee camp to prepare for the celebration of World Refugee Day with South Sudanese refugees in Uganda. And then I had the chance to help support the return of half a million South Sudanese coming back to their country with joy and hoping that there would be a future of peace and prosperity for them, for their families and for their country,” Guterres said.

“Unfortunately, we have been witnessing a level of suffering of the South Sudanese people that is extremely troubling and that I think should be of concern for the whole international community,” he added.

The new UN chief also commended the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) for ending recent Gambia political crisis and said he hopes ECOWAS’s act could be copied in many parts of the world, adding he has “been concentrating a lot of attention to see how the UN can help African leadership in dealing successfully with the problem of South Sudan.”

Guterres disclosed that he had a meeting with the leadership of the Intergovernmental Authority on Development, African Union’s leadership and that they agreed to work together with one voice to find a peaceful solution to South Sudan armed conflict. The UN chief further added that “a national dialogue that is fully inclusive of all parties” is the best way to find a political solution in the war-wracked young nation.