Future of South Sudan depends on choices of leaders - UN envoy

The Head of the United Nations Mission in South Sudan David Shearer has told the United Nations Security Council that “the choices that South Sudan’s leaders make now will determine the country’s future for generations to come.”

Briefing via teleconference from South Sudan, Shearer said, “by choosing to sign the peace agreement last year, parties kick-started a transformative process that has already paid dividends.

“And while sexual violence remains an abhorrent problem, the 295 victims recorded in 2019 is substantially fewer than the almost 1,300 reported in 2018. Improvements in security have also prompted at least 645,000 people to return to their homes.”

He said recent meetings between Kiir and Machar are “encouraging” and have “restored some optimism and momentum.”

“In just two months, the leaders will choose whether to form a transitional government. Preservation of the ceasefire, as I’ve said, is absolutely critical. And those choices will coincide with the dry season, a period historically associated with increased fighting.”

Kiir and Machar were expected to form a unified transitional Government by mid-November, in line with a revitalized peace agreement.