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South Sudan ceasefire deal signed South Sudan ceasefire deal signed
(about 1 hour later)
South Sudan's government and rebels have signed a cessation-of-hostilities agreement, pledging to halt fighting within 24 hours, in a deal that should at least put a pause on five weeks of warfare. South Sudanese officials and rebels have signed a ceasefire agreement , hailed as the first step towards ending an ethnically charged conflict that has killed thousands of people.
Negotiators for the two sides have been meeting in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, for weeks. Thursday's signing was the first real progress made. The deal was struck in neighbouring Ethiopia by representatives of President Salva Kiir and delegates loyal to sacked vice-president turned rebel leader Riek Machar. It was greeted by cheers from regional mediators and diplomats, and was welcomed in Washington.
Observers hope the agreement will put an end to violence that has claimed thousands of lives and uprooted 500,000 people since fighting began on 15 December between the government of Salva Kiir and supporters of the former vice-president, Riek Machar. The pact, which marks the first significant breakthrough since a power struggle between Kiir and Machar turned to violence on 15 December, is expected to be implemented within 24 hours of the signing, mediators said. The government also reportedly agreed to release 11 officials close to Machar from detention, a major point of dispute, although no time frame was given.
Taban Deng, head of the rebel delegation, said he hoped the deal would "pave the way for a serious national political dialogue aiming at reaching a lasting peace in South Sudan".
Government negotiator Nhial Deng Nhial said the talks, which began in Addis Ababa three weeks ago, were "not easy". "We hope to be able to make haste towards an agreement that will end bloodshed," he was quoted as saying by AFP.
But it remains to be seen whether all fighters in South Sudan, a patchwork of rival militias with competing loyalties, will abide by the outcome.
"What worries us is whether the agreement on the cessation of hostilities will stick [and] the capacity of the rebel group … to stop fighting," Deng said. "We would like to take this opportunity to urge the rebel group to heed the voice of reason and abandon the quest for political power through violence."
His concern was echoed by a spokesman for the South Sudan's military, who cautioned that a group known as the "white army" may not want peace.
"Riek Machar has been using that force to fight the SPLA [Sudan People's Liberation Army], so we have to see what will happen," Colonel Philip Aguer told the Associated Press. "Civilians, innocents are dying, so it is good for the people of South Sudan to have peace."
After initial clashes broke out in the presidential guard five weeks ago, the conflict rapidly escalated into war between the regular army, backed by Ugandan troops, and breakaway units and other militia. It also took on an ethnic character as members of Kiir's Dinka tribe clashed with Machar's Nuer group. Some analysts say as many as 10,000 people have died, while close to half a million have been displaced.
The UN has said it is investigating widespread reports of atrocities and war crimes, including massacres, rapes, summary executions and the use of child soldiers. It says 76,000 civilians are under protection at eight of its bases.
The fighting has also affected South Sudan's oil industry, after technical workers fled and rebel fighters took control for while of the fields.
Earlier this week government forces recaptured the town of Malakal in the oil-producing Upper Nile state and the last major settlement under rebel control. Large numbers of rebel forces, however, are still massed in rural areas and smaller towns.
"To the parties, we say, 'Enough,'" Alexander Rondos, the EU special representative for the Horn of Africa, said at the signing of the deal on Thursday. "The killing must end now. The displaced must be able to return to their homes."
The US, which spent billions of dollars helping South Sudan achieve independence in July 2011, also welcomed the deal. The White House spokesman Jay Carney said: "This is a first critical step in ending the violence … we expect both parties to fully and swiftly implement the agreement.
"The United States urges both sides to build on this momentum by moving swiftly to an inclusive political dialogue."
Others sounded a note of caution. Seyoum Mesfin, the chief mediator in Addis Ababa, told the ceremony: "The crisis that gripped South Sudan is a mere manifestation of the challenges that face the young and fledgling state.
"I believe that the postwar challenges will be greater than the war itself. The process will be ... unpredictable and delicate."
There was also scepticism on the streets of Juba, the South Sudanese capital. "It can solve some of the immediate problems but not all the problems," Samuel Kuir Chok, 31, told Reuters. "I'm not optimistic … because this guy [Machar)] wants to be president at all costs."
The Enough Project, a US-based advocacy group, said Thursday's deal is only the first step on a long road to a sustainable peace.
"If an inclusive peace process is not constructed that seeks to address root causes, the conflict will continue, with deadly consequences," said John Prendergast, the group's co-founder, adding it was "far from guaranteed" that all combatants would lay down arms just because a deal was signed in Ethiopia.
José Barahona, Oxfam's country director for South Sudan, added: "The world's newest nation, plagued by conflict for the past month, has today been given a second chance. With the cessation of hostilities, the focus must now be on rapid reconciliation to aide a fast recovery and set South Sudan on a clear path to development."
The UK foreign secretary, William Hague, welcomed the agreement, and said both sides must now ensure their forces stop fighting within 24 hours, as stipulated.The UK foreign secretary, William Hague, welcomed the agreement, and said both sides must now ensure their forces stop fighting within 24 hours, as stipulated.
Hague said: "The brutal violence of the last month has led to countless deaths and caused thousands of innocent people to endure unimaginable suffering. He said: "The brutal violence of the last month has led to countless deaths and caused thousands of innocent people to endure unimaginable suffering.
"The government and opposition must ensure that their forces implement the agreement immediately and in full."The government and opposition must ensure that their forces implement the agreement immediately and in full.
"It is now vital that both sides work to heal the divisions that led to this conflict, and to strengthen governance in South Sudan. A genuinely inclusive process of national reconciliation is now needed, to give the people of South Sudan confidence that such violence can never reoccur. The UK is ready to lend its full support to these efforts in South Sudan."It is now vital that both sides work to heal the divisions that led to this conflict, and to strengthen governance in South Sudan. A genuinely inclusive process of national reconciliation is now needed, to give the people of South Sudan confidence that such violence can never reoccur. The UK is ready to lend its full support to these efforts in South Sudan.
"I fully support the African Union's decision to establish a commission of inquiry into alleged crimes committed during the conflict, and call on all sides to co-operate with it to ensure that those responsible for abuses are held accountable." Jose Barahona, the country director for Oxfam, said the agreement gave the world's newest nation "a second chance". "I fully support the African Union's decision to establish a commission of inquiry into alleged crimes committed during the conflict, and call on all sides to co-operate with it to ensure that those responsible for abuses are held accountable."".
Mediators from the east African regional bloc IGAD, which has been brokering the peace talks, said that under the deal will put in place a team will be put in place to monitor the truce.
South Sudan's government also agreed to release 11 officials close to Machar who were detained after fighting between rival army units broke out on 15 December, though no timeline for their release was given. The status of the detainees had been a major sticking point in the talks.
"These two agreements are the ingredients to create an environment for achieving a total peace in my country," said Taban Deng, head of the rebel delegation.
He said he hoped the deal would "pave the way for a serious national political dialogue aiming at reaching a lasting peace in South Sudan". The world's newest nation only won independence from Khartoum in 2011.
Government negotiator Nhial Deng Nhial said the talks, which have been dragging on in a luxury hotel in Addis Ababa for three weeks, were "not easy".
"We hope to be able to make haste towards an agreement that will end bloodshed," he said, but he voiced scepticism over the ability of the rebels, comprised of renegade army units and ethnic militia, to halt their operations.
"What worries us is whether the agreement on the cessation of hostilities will stick [and] the capacity of the rebel group … to stop fighting," he added. "We would like to take this opportunity to urge the rebel group to heed the voice of reason and abandon the quest for political power through violence."
After initial clashes broke out in the capital, Juba, more than a month ago, the conflict rapidly escalated into all-out war between the regular army, backed by Ugandan troops, and breakaway army units and other militia.
The violence also took on an ethnic dimension as members of Kiir's Dinka tribe clashed with Machar's Nuer group.
Aid workers and analysts believe up to 10,000 people have died, while close to half a million have been forced to flee their homes, with atrocities allegedly committed by both sides.