Troika Nations Endorse S. Sudan Peace Talks With Aim of Creating Transitional Assembly
The Troika group consisting of the United States, United Kingdom and Norway backed the latest attempt to restart peace talks to end the conflict in South Sudan following a meeting of armed opposition groups in the capital Juba this week, according to a joint statement released by the US Department of State on Wednesday
"The United States, the United Kingdom, and Norway (the Troika) welcome the resumption of these talks," the statement said. "The success of these talks will be critical in Sudan's journey towards ensuring lasting peace."
The statement also urged all sides in the conflict to form a Transitional Legislative Assembly to appoint civilian governors before the end of the month and join peace talks without pre conditions.
The talks by opposition groups in Juba aimed to salvage a September 2018 power sharing agreement signed by South Sudanese President Salva Kiir and former Vice President Riek Machar.
After missing the latest deadline to implement the agreement on November 7, the South Sudanese government and opposition agreed to extend the so-called pre-transitional period by 100 days.
For five years, the conflict had pitted supporters of Kiir against those of Machar, with at least 382,900 people killed, according to a recent report by the London school of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine that was commissioned by the State Department and US Institute of Peace.