At the headquarters of the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, South Sudanese President Salva Kiir and his former Vice-President Riek Machar signed a new Peace Agreement.
Signed under the aegis of the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), a regional organization, and Ethiopia, the document puts an end to five years of conflict in South Sudan.
Antonio Guterres, Secretary-General of the United Nations, called on the signatories of the Agreement to implement it "fully and without exception, both in letter and in spirit, so that the people of Southern Sudan can finally receive the peace dividend they deserve". For the UN chief, all parties must "imperatively" and "immediately" cease hostilities in South Sudan.
Dominik Stillhart, director of operations at the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), says "it is important that the political solution to which the ongoing negotiations lead takes into account the daily needs of South Sudanese civilians, particularly marginalized groups such as women." To date (for 2018), 69 children and 47 women with weapon wounds have been treated in ICRC-supported hospitals. As a result of the conflict, tens of thousands of children are deprived of school and many have been separated from their parents.
According to the UN, the way forward remains difficult, and the international community must remain seized of the situation in South Sudan as the agreement is implemented. The Organization stands ready, in close coordination with the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) and the African Union, to assist the parties in implementing the Agreement.