The members of the Troika group - the United Kingdom, the United States and Norway - are expressing concern over the increasing violence in South Sudan's Yei area, according to a joint statement released by the State Department on Wednesday
WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 20th February, 2019) The members of the Troika group - the United Kingdom, the United States and Norway - are expressing concern over the increasing violence in South Sudan's Yei area, according to a joint statement released by the State Department on Wednesday."The members of the Troika ... are alarmed about the escalating conflict around Yei, which represents a flagrant breach of the December 2017 Cessation of Hostilities Agreement and the September 2018 revitalized peace agreement," the statement said. "These military actions, and the trading of blame, must stop."
The Troika countries are particularly worried about the humanitarian consequences of the latest violence for civilians, the statement said.
"Thousands of South Sudanese have been displaced and fled across the border into the Democratic Republic of the Congo in recent days to escape fighting and violence against civilians, the UN's High Commissioner for Refugees has confirmed," the statement said.
In addition, the Troika members expressed concern that the renewed fighting risks undermining the peace agreement.
"We are concerned that if the situation escalates, the progress made in implementing the peace agreement will be irrevocably set back," the Troika said. "In addition, if violence against civilians continues unchecked, it could fuel further cycles of violence and atrocities."
The statement called on all parties, including the government, the Sudan People's Liberation Movement in-Opposition (SPLM-IO) and National Salvation Front, to immediately end the violence and uphold their commitments under the Cessation of Hostilities Agreement.
A civil war erupted in South Sudan in 2013, just two years after the country gained independence from Sudan. South Sudanese President Salva Kiir accused then-Vice President Riek Machar and several others of planning a coup, resulting in an armed confrontation between the government and rebel forces led by Machar. A fragile peace was reached in September after several failed attempts to end the fighting. As part of the deal, Machar will return as vice president.
