Kerry: South Sudan agrees to deployment of regional force

Secretary of State John KerryJohn KerryUS to provide 8M in aid to South Sudan amid humanitarian crisis Trump effect spills into Pennsylvania Senate race USA sending delegation to Turkey to weigh extradition of cleric: report MORE announced the new assistance following meetings in Nairobi, Kenya, focused on halting the instability.

“We need to move forward”, Kerry said, calling South Sudan’s ethnically based conflict, which has killed tens of thousands in the past 2½ years, tragic and reprehensible.

Kerry said his country had no plan to interfere with Kenya’s electoral process but will ensure peace and credibility.

Fighting that erupted in the capital last month killed hundreds amid widespread reports of rapes and other abuses and raised fears of a renewed civil war.

“We are investing over 25 million dollars this year in order to support your electoral process coming into next year, what that means is we want to strengthen your election operations”, said Kerry in a post-meeting press conference.

“The people should decide”, he said.

Esipisu says specific issues likely to be discussed include stabilizing northern neighbor South Sudan, which is dealing with a recent upheaval, and developments in Somalia and Burundi. Kerry arrived Sunday in Kenya to hold talks with leaders of the East African nation that are expected to focus on regional security and extremism.

Angelo Izama, a Uganda-based political commentator, told DW that Kerry’s visits to Kenya and Nigeria, which are battling with al-Shabab and Boko Haram respectively, show “how seriously the USA establishment considers the issue of long-term responses to worldwide terrorism by trying to contain it in their home areas”.

Kerry, who pledged new humanitarian aid to South Sudan worth $138 million, said the new United Nations troop contingent was “not an intervention force” but would protect civilians and support those working to ensure peace prevailed.

Kerry asserted that even though it will help fund AMISOM, “the USA aid can not be permanent, the war must stop”.

Around two years of conflict that pitted troops loyal to President Salva Kiir against those of his former deputy Riek Machar were supposed to have ended with a peace deal last year.

The President thanked the US Government and the worldwide community for standing with the region in support of the South Sudan peace process.

He urged South Sudan’s leaders to “live up to their responsibilities” and “refrain from violent and provocative acts”. A spokesman announced last week that he had crossed into neighboring Congo.

On Somalia, President Kenyatta urged the U.S. and the worldwide community to continue engaging in the Horn of Africa country proactively to sustain the stabilization efforts. They also agreed to ensure that African Union troops have the needed resources to partner with Somalia against extremists. Somalia has been embroiled in civil war since the ousting of dictator Mohamed Siad Barre in 1991. A homegrown al-Qaida-linked extremist group al-Shabab continues to launch deadly attacks in the capital.