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East African leaders on Friday called for immediate permanent cease-fire in South Sudan and urged warring factions in the conflict to honor agreements which had been reached and signed to ensure sustainable peace.
In a joint communique issued in Nairobi at the end of day-long East Africa Community (EAC) Heads of State Summit, presidents from Kenya, Burundi, Rwanda, Tanzania and Uganda said a political solution to end the 14 month fighting is needed without delay.
"The summit called for immediate and permanent cease-fire signed in February in Addis Ababa by the two parties in the conflict," read the communique.
"The summit called upon the two parties to abide by the terms of the agreement and ensure sustainable peace, security and resettlement of all returnees and internally displaced persons," the leaders said.
The two warring factions to the South Sudan conflict signed a peace agreement in Addis Ababa on Feb. 2 witnessed by regional leaders. The new peace deal immediately ends any further bloodshed and all forms of hostility between the infighting groups.
Under the new peace pact, the warring factions agreed to adjourn further talks until Feb.19 when the negotiations resume ahead of the final and comprehensive peace pact on March 5.
The conflict has resulted in the suffering of millions of South Sudanese, with 50,000 believed to have died, 2.5 million experiencing severe hunger, and a further half a million fled to neighboring countries out of fear for their lives.
The East African leaders also welcomed the agreement on the establishment of the transitional government of national unity of South Sudan which aims at finding a political solution to the crisis.
South Sudan plunged into violence in December 2013, when fighting erupted between troops loyal to President Salva Kiir and defectors led by former Vice President Riek Machar around the capital Juba.
The conflict soon turned into an all-out war between the army and defectors, with the violence taking on an ethnic dimension that pitted the president's Dinka tribe against Machar's Nuer ethnic group. Enditem
