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The United Nations calls on warring factions in South Sudan to respect ceasefire

South Sudan

The United Nations has called on warring factions in South Sudan to respect the ceasefire called for Monday by the country’s president, Salva Kiir.

He had demanded an immediate end to the fighting between his soldiers and forces loyal to the Vice President Riek Machar.

According to a spokesperson of the United Nations Mission in the country, the South Sudanese leaders have to ensure the order is conveyed through all security forces’ chains of command so that soldiers return to their barracks.

“As I have done publicly during the last couple of days, I urge everybody to lay down the gun and respect the ceasefire that His Excellency the President has directed and the First Vice President has approved too. We really need to find a political solution in South Sudan and move forward in peace for the benefit of the people of South Sudan,” said Ellen Margrethe, UN Secretary General’s special representative to South Sudan and head of UNMISS. The clashes have seen different foreign nations evacuate their citizens from Juba, including Germany, who safely evacuated European expatriates to Uganda on Wednesday. Indian nationals have also been evacuated and have been warned not to travel to the country.

Reports also indicate that the Ugandan military is still assessing the security situation, before working on a plan to evacuate Ugandan nationals.

The civil disputes in South Sudan have left about 272 people dead across the capital city since fighting broke out last Thursday.

Preliminary estimates indicate that at least 36,000 people have been displaced by the clashes and were seeking shelter at the UN mission civilian protection sites and many other locations across the city.

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