Head of UNMISS, David Shearer

The head of the UN mission in the country has urged other armed groups to declare a unilateral ceasefire as done by the President.

President Salva Kiir declared the ceasefire at the swearing in of the steering committee of the National Dialogue last month.

It was among other commitments the President made, including stepping down as the patron of the national dialogue.

“I welcome the commitments made by President Salva Kiir. We urge other parties to join the ceasefire,” David Shearer said.

He also said CTSSAM should be granted full freedom of movement to monitor and verify the ceasefire.

In his remarks to the heads of state and government, Mr. Shearer said the UN had observed a pause in the level of major military operations during the start of the rainy season.

However, fighting over the past few months, and this week in northern parts of the country have increased – and persisted well after the ceasefire announcement made by President Salva Kiir.

He said the conflict continued to displace one-third of South Sudan’s population to the neighboring countries of Uganda, Kenya, Ethiopia, and Sudan, with 50,000 arriving in Uganda alone each month this year.

David Shearer said the gesture by President Kiir to unilaterally declare a ceasefire is a move that needs to be emulated by all those fighting in the country.

Silencing the guns, he added, would pave the way for genuine conversations around the implementation of a political process that will guarantee stability and security for all South Sudanese.

“The conditions must be ripe for all South Sudanese to feel free to fully engage. Genuine dialogue means talking to ones enemies as well as ones friends. No constituency can be left out,” Shearer said.

Last month, President Salva Kiir promised to release all political detainees as the first step to proving his intentions for genuine, and inclusive dialogue.

He followed up by releasing UN radio journalist, George Livio, who has been in detention, without trial, since 2014.

But Mr. Shearer said a further test of the President’s commitment will be shown by how many political prisoners are released.

“One UN staff member was released recently, but two others have been held for two years still without charge,” he said.

The head of UNMISS told IGAD leaders that the Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in the Republic of South Sudan remains the only viable option of saving South Sudan from its current predicament.

He said the reforms envisaged in the agreement will take “time and require real commitment” for their full realization.

During the deliberations of the extraordinary summit on Monday, the IGAD leaders directed the secretariat to organize a “High-level Revitalization Forum” to discuss, among others, the full implementation of the Peace Agreement and develop a revised and realistic timeline and implementation schedule towards a democratic election at the end of the transitional period.

On elections, Mr. Shearer said there is need to first exert efforts for a well-coordinated strategy that addresses the conflict at the local or sub-national, national level and across the region.

“A rushed process and premature elections, when the conditions are not ready, may lead to more conflict,” he warned.

Mr. Shearer said maintaining the status quo in South Sudan is not delivering peace, saying there should be renewed efforts, including by some of South Sudan’s neighbors, to find a collective path to peace.

“Today, there is greater fragmentation. A multitude of players is now evident – and the causes of fighting are multi-layered. Going forward we need to recognize this reality.”

He added that South Sudan has incredible potential for food production, but current circumstances have forced more than half of its people to depend on food aid.

The IGAD heads of State Extraordinary Summit on South Sudan decided to convene a forum of all signatories to ARCSS to revitalize the peace agreement.

The call by the head of UNMISS comes amid reports of clashes between the SPLA and the opposition forces in the northern parts of the country.