Nairobi — President William Ruto has called on the international community to rise up and urgently intervene to end new violence in South Sudan that is threatening to tear the country apart.
Ruto, who marked 100 days in office this week, said the crisis in South Sudan is severe and needs urgent intervention from the global community following renewed hostilities between the signatories to the Revitalized Agreement for the Resolution of Conflict in South Sudan (R-ARCSS).
"As the world ushers in the festive season, which comes with hope for humanity, I note with great concern the escalation of hostilities in neighboring South Sudan between the signatories to the Revitalized Agreement for the Resolution of Conflict in South Sudan (R-ARCSS)," he said in a statement on Christmas Eve.
President Ruto said the increasing violence, displacement, and humanitarian crisis in the Upper Nile and Jonglei States is detrimental to the peace and stability of the region.
"As a neighbour and guarantor of the South Sudan peace process, I, on behalf of Kenya, bring these concerning developments to the attention of the wider international community and call for a focus on immediate intervention geared towards de-escalation, peaceful resolution and coexistence among the parties involved," he said.
According to the United Nations, nearly 200 civilians have died in clashes in South Sudan's far north over the past four months, while thousands more in Upper Nile state have sought shelter in swamps to escape the bloodshed, amid reports of civilians being raped, kidnapped or murdered.
The violence has displaced over 20,000 people since August, the agency said last week, citing reports of "random shooting of civilians".
Around 3,000 people have fled into neighboring Sudan, with those left behind seeking refuge in bushes along the banks of the White Nile, the UN refugee agency UNHCR said last week.
President Salva Kiir earlier this month called on all sides to embrace peace. His office said he was "determined to do whatever it takes" to end the violence.
Ruto further pointed out that the women and children are bearing the greatest brunt.
President Ruto called for immediate intervention to de-escalate the situation and bring about a peaceful resolution among the parties involved.
"Women and children bear the greatest brunt of the hostilities in the Upper Nile and Jonglei States and are in desperate need of food, water, shelter and medical supplies. Regrettably, the widening political division is impairing any hopes for resumption in implementation of the Revitalized Agreement for the Resolution of Conflict in South Sudan," Ruto stated.
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Ruto stated that he had also spoken with South Sudan's President, General Salva Kiir Mayardit, urging him to lead the country back to a path of durable peace as outlined in the R-ARCSS and facilitate the delivery of humanitarian assistance to affected communities.
Since achieving independence from Sudan in 2011, the world's newest nation has lurched from one crisis to another, including a brutal five-year civil war that left nearly 400,000 people dead.
A peace deal was signed in 2018 but sporadic bursts of violence between government and opposition forces continue to occur, while conflict between rival ethnic groups in lawless parts of the country exacts a terrible toll on civilians.
