U.N. chief tasks Kiir, Machar to 'unite' for suffering South Sudanese

UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres on Saturday said it was “unacceptable” that South Sudan’s warring parties had yet to make peace even as a deadline for them to form a unity government fast approaches.

President Salva Kiir and rebel leader Riek Machar face a February 22nd deadline to form a transitional government but are yet to agree on key issues including the number of regional states and security arrangements.

Antonio Guterres who was in Ethiopia to attend the 33rd African union summit said: “I have only one simple message to the leaders of the country: think about your people, respect your people, you have not the right to continue a confrontation when your people are suffering so much.

“It is your moral and political responsibility to put an end to this and to find the agreements that are necessary to make South Sudan enter into a normal life.”

Kiir and Machar have missed two previous deadlines to implement the articles of the 2018 peace deal. The rebels accuse Juba of reneging on key parts of the accord.

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