S.Sudan leader urges to unite to implement peace deal

The global travel ban and assets freeze target South Sudan army chief Paul Malong and rebel commander Johnson Olony for their role in the continued fighting.

The sanctions will come into force at 1900 GMT on Tuesday if none of the 15 Security Council members raises objections.

Juba: South Sudan’s president urged his people on Tuesday to “join hands” in implementing a peace deal to end more than 20 months of conflict, after repeated outbreaks of fighting since rebels and the government signed the pact last month.

Measures against the two South Sudanese men are part of a second wave of sanctions following the council’s decision in July to blacklist six commanders: three from the government forces and three from the rebels.

US Secretary of State John Kerry had to call President Kiir on Sept 3 to express concern over the violations and the South Sudan leader had to confirm his commitment to the implementation of the agreement and the truce, a senior State Department official said.

Machar signed a peace deal proposed by regional leaders on August. 17 and Kiir ten days later, under mounting pressure from neighbouring countries and threats of sanctions from Western powers and the United Nations.

Speaking to reporters in the capital Juba, Kiir insisted he had ordered his forces to respect a ceasefire with troops loyal to rebel leader and former vice president Riek Machar – unless they are attacked first.

Since this conflict began, fighting and abuses have forced over 2 million people to flee their homes and thousands of civilians have been killed, often targeted because of their ethnicity or perceived political allegiance.

Ban “hopes it will be attended at the highest level to ensure that the implementation of the agreement receives the fullest possible support from the worldwide community”, a United Nations spokesperson said.

Russia’s United Nations ambassador Vitaly Churkin said he felt sanctions were not the solution after his country’s talks with the foreign ministers of South Sudan and Sudan.

Last year, Kiir failed to turn up at a meeting on South Sudan also organized during the high-level session of the General Assembly.