The UN Undersecretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations has said the national dialogue initiated by President Salva Kiir last year cannot be a substituted for the political solution but it can play a very important role in moving the country forward.

Herve Ladsous said the President Kiir-initiated dialogue needs a close follow up for it to succeed.

He was addressing journalists in Juba on Tuesday, before departing for New York: