Africa-Press – South-Sudan. The United States Charge’d’ Affairs, David W. Renz, has pledged the US support towards peace and stability in South Sudan.
The development came after his meeting with President Salva Kiir Mayardit yesterday at the State House. The information shared by the presidential press unit said the topics of discussion included cooperation between the US and South Sudan, as well as support for peace and stability in the country.
Amb Renz also hailed the efforts of President Kiir towards the restoration of peace in Sudan.
“President Salva Kiir Mayardit and US Ambassador David W. Renz discussed ways to foster cooperation between Washington and Juba as well as the preparation for the upcoming elections,” read the statement from the office of the President.
“US Ambassador David W. Renz applauded President Salva Kiir Mayardit for his commitment to restoring peace in Sudan and assured him of the United States’ support for peace and stability in South Sudan,” the statement added.
“Contrary image”
Last week, US Senator Patrick Leahy released a statement about South Sudan, saying the presence of instability shows little lasting stability and progress.
He accused South Sudanese politicians of building personal ambitions in lieu of a democratic country and changing the lives of citizens.
“The past decade has been plagued by continued ethnic violence, widespread hunger, and ongoing disputes between rival politicians who have been motivated by their own personal ambitions rather than building a democratic country or improving the lives of the South Sudanese people,” said Patrick Leahy, the US Senator.
The United States Senator accused President Salva Kiir Mayardit and the First Vice President, Riek Machar, of instigating ethnic tensions. He claimed that the government had failed “in their responsibility to invest in public infrastructure, basic services, and the institutions of a multi-party democracy.”
“The country remains divided, violent, and impoverished. “The Parliament is nothing more than a hand-picked rubber stamp,” he said.
The senator called for the invoking of resolution 380, which appeals to the Secretary of State to: “Prioritise investigations into illicit financial flows fuelling violence in South Sudan; work with the Secretary of State to update, on a regular basis, the list of individuals and entities designated under South Sudan sanctions program, including individuals at the highest levels of leadership in South Sudan and from within the National Security Service; and to coordinate, in cooperation with the Secretary of State, with the United Kingdom and the European Union on South Sudan-related sanctions designations and enforcement.”
Government’s efforts
President Kiir asked the UN Security Council last year to lift the arms embargo, saying it delayed efforts to implement some parts of the peace agreement, especially chapter 2, which talks about the graduation of forces.
He asked the UNSC not to take any information from the international media or western countries because ‘‘wrong information” had been spread’’.
Last year, Kiir was involved in diplomatic activities, including peace in Khartoum and Ethiopia. At the closing ceremony of the governor’s forum, he reactivated the Rome Peace talks with the Real SPLM, National Salvation Front, and South Sudan United Front/Army (SSUF/A).
Real SPLM and SSUF/A have agreed to be included in the ceasefire monitoring mechanism in March, as talks are expected to resume this month.
The Head of State also directed the Minister of Finance, Agak Achuil Lual, during his inauguration ceremony to report corrupt individuals in his ministry to him if they could not be fired.
He told him to ensure the timely payment of civil servants and organised forces. There have been positive developments which include the screening of forces which is a step towards the implementation of Chapter 2 of the Revitalised Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in South Sudan (R-ARCSS).
Consequently, a week ago, the government dispatched a delegation to Khartoum to solve the Misseriya attacks in Aweil East County of Northern Bahr El Ghazal State, the Kit Gwang faction’s impasse with the SPLM/A-IO forces, and to deliver a message of solidarity with the Sudanese government on the resignation of Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok.
The Misseriya leaders have vowed to talk to their people to stop attacks, and the Gatwech and his delegation have agreed to stick to dialogue with the government as a way of bringing a lasting solution to political unrest in northern Upper Nile State.
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