South Sudan warring parties sign cease-fire agreement

South Sudanese President Salva Kiir and his former vice president Riek Machar signed a cease-fire agreement on Monday here.

Under the mediation of the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), the two warring parties in South Sudan signed the agreement to end the conflict that erupted in December 2013 in the world's newest nation.

The signing ceremony was attended by Prime Minister Hailemariam Dessalegn of Ethiopia and Chairperson of IGAD; President Uhuru Kenyatta of Kenya and IGAD Rapporteur; Mahboub Maalim, Executive Secretary of IGAD; and Smail Chergui, AU Commissioner for Peace and Security; partners of IGAD and other dignitaries. The document confirms agreed areas between the parties, including the mandate of the Transitional Government of National Unity (TGoNU), the establishment of transitional justice institutions and oversight monitoring mechanisms, according to IGAD.

The document commits the parties to agree a final and comprehensive peace agreement no later than March 5 this year.

The parties also rededicated themselves to the cessation of hostilities (CoH) agreement of Jan. 23, 2014, and agreed that any future violations of the CoH agreement would be referred to the AU Peace and Security Council and the UN Security Council.

Dessalegn urged the two principals to respect what they have signed.

"I am confident that the two leaders will respect what they have signed today. In the coming meetings in February, we will see a comprehensive peace agreement signed," Dessalegn said.

"This is what the people of South Sudan are expecting and the people of the region and the international community are expecting from the leaders," he said. "Failure to do so will have grave consequences to all of us and specifically to the leaders of South Sudan."

Kenyatta expressed optimism over the positive prospect this development holds for South Sudan.

"All of us are truly hopeful that we will be here in just about a month's time to witness a comprehensive peace agreement concluded... (we) would see a transitional government in place to prepare South Sudan for elections and ultimately for the will of the people to prevail," said Kenyatta.

Chairman of the IGAD Special Envoys for South Sudan, Seyoum Mesfin, said that final round of peace talks would resume on Feb. 20 with the aim of finalizing a comprehensive peace agreement no later than March 5.

The African union   (AU) recently reiterated its determination to impose sanctions against all parties that continue to undermine the cessation of hostilities agreement and obstruct the political process of South Sudan.

On the sidelines of the 24th AU summit here in Addis Ababa, the AU Peace and Security Council last Thursday convened its meeting on South Sudan at the level of heads of states and governments.

The council reiterated "its determination to impose sanctions against all parties that continue to undermine the cessation of hostilities agreement and obstruct the political process, and to seek the support of the UN Security Council in this respect," said the communique of the meeting.

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