FROM: U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT
U.S. Welcomes Agreement between President Kiir and Machar
John Kerry
Secretary of State
Secretary of State
Washington, DC
May 9, 2014
Today's agreement to immediately stop the fighting in South Sudan and to negotiate a transitional government could mark a breakthrough for the future of South Sudan. The hard journey on a long road begins now and the work must continue.
We urge both leaders to take immediate action now to ensure that this agreement is implemented in full and that armed groups on both sides adhere to its terms.
We also acknowledge the effort of the Chairman of the Intergovernmental Authority for Development, Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn, to convene this meeting and to mediate this positive outcome between the two leaders.
I saw with my own eyes last week the stakes and the struggles in a new nation we helped courageous people create. The people of South Sudan have suffered too much for far too long. In this most recent crisis alone, over one million people have been displaced, even more now face the prospect of famine, and, as the recent UN Mission Human Rights report found, there have been human rights abuses on a massive scale committed by both sides.
This agreement presents an opportunity to start a path towards peace that must not be lost. We will do all we can to help.
We urge both leaders to take immediate action now to ensure that this agreement is implemented in full and that armed groups on both sides adhere to its terms.
We also acknowledge the effort of the Chairman of the Intergovernmental Authority for Development, Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn, to convene this meeting and to mediate this positive outcome between the two leaders.
I saw with my own eyes last week the stakes and the struggles in a new nation we helped courageous people create. The people of South Sudan have suffered too much for far too long. In this most recent crisis alone, over one million people have been displaced, even more now face the prospect of famine, and, as the recent UN Mission Human Rights report found, there have been human rights abuses on a massive scale committed by both sides.
This agreement presents an opportunity to start a path towards peace that must not be lost. We will do all we can to help.
