UNITED NATIONS, November 8 (RIA Novosti) – UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has issued a statement praising the peace deal on power sharing in South Sudan, brokered by the Intergovernmental Authority for Development (IGAD).
"[The UN Secretary General] is encouraged by the parties' intent to cease hostilities immediately and reach agreement on an inclusive power sharing agreement within 15 days," the statement, issued Friday, said.
"[Ban Ki-moon] hopes that the parties will live up to their stated commitment to peace and meaningfully engage in dialogue in order to reach a comprehensive peace agreement that addresses the root causes of the conflict in South Sudan," the statement added.
According to the statement, Ban Ki-moon welcomes "the strong stance adopted by the IGAD Heads of States on the conflict in South Sudan which is in the interest of the people of South Sudan".
On Wednesday, the UN Security Council condemned the renewal of hostilities in South Sudan and called for an immediate end to violence in the country.
According to the statement, the violence testifies to "an already serious humanitarian crisis which has displaced a total of more than 1.8 million South Sudanese".
Violence erupted in South Sudan in December, when the country's president, Salva Kiir, accused his ex-deputy Riek Machar of plotting a coup. Thousands of people have been killed in the civil war.
