Soldiers from South Sudan's army patrol the streets of Malakal in the
Upper Nile State of South Sudan on December 31, 2013. PHOTO | AFP
AFP
Regional mediators were at the weekend
working round the clock to convince South Sudan rebels to agree on a
ceasefire to revive stalled talks and return the country to stability.
The
Inter-Governmental Authority on Development (IGAD) mediators held talks
with former Vice-President Riek Machar in an undisclosed location in
South Sudan as the United Nations Security Council renewed its call on
all parties to end the violence, protect civilians and ease access for
relief workers.
The UN also reinforced its peacekeepers and scaled up humanitarian response.
Secretary-General
Ban Ki-Moon announced that he would dispatch Assistant
Secretary-General for Human Rights, Ivan Simonovic, to the country to
investigate rights violations believed to have been committed by both
sides in the conflict which has displaced more than 230,000 people, more
than a quarter of whom are in UN bases.
“I have been
urging and making it quite clear that those perpetrators of serious
human rights violations will be held accountable,” Mr Ban said in New
York. The future course of action would be decided in consultations with
the Security Council based on the evidence collected, he added.
The
UN Mission in South Sudan has been gathering evidence of violations,
with around 60 international investigators backed by some 30 South
Sudanese counterparts, the Office for the High Commissioner of Human
Rights announced. The African Union has also announced an investigation.
IGAD mediators arrived in South Sudan on Saturday after peace talks in Addis Ababa stalled.
The
talks between representatives of President Salva Kiir and Dr Machar
were suspended after disagreements over the sensitive issue of political
prisoners.
Negotiators on rebels’ side have insisted
on the release of the detainees before they sign any peace agreement,
dashing hopes for a speedy ceasefire pact.
Rebels have
refused to sign the truce if 11 political figures detained following an
alleged coup attempt in mid-December were not released. The demand has
been rejected by government delegations.
South Sudan
government representatives told journalists in Addis Ababa that the
detainees were perpetrators of a coup and their case should be handled
by domestic courts and in accordance with the law.
The
mediators, led by Ethiopian former foreign minister Seyoum Mesfin was to
meet and convince Dr Machar to sign a truce to end weeks of violence
that has hit the world’s newest nation.
The Security
Council demanded that President Kiir and Dr Machar and other political
leaders should immediately agree to an end to attacks and to begin
broader negotiations.
The Council urged Dr Machar to
agree to end hostilities without preconditions and requested President
Kiir to release the detainees.
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