South Sudan’s former First Vice President and rebel leader Riek Machar has called for an internationally brokered political process to review the peace accord signed last year.

In a Christmas message, Machar called on the international community and the African Union to give the people of South Sudan a hope during this festive and to declare the much needed internationally mediated peace process.

He further said a peaceful resolution to the ongoing conflict and genocide should be the highest priority for the international community for the well-being of the South Sudanese people.

The rebel leader explained that the political process will allow the warring parties to peacefully engage and will ensure the people of South Sudan can celebrate rather than endure the festive period in the coming years.

According to Machar, the hopes of South Sudanese were shattered by the resumption of war in July this year. “The hopes for peace and stability evaporated with the July 8th 2016 violence and the attempt to assassinate me at State House in Juba returning the country to full scale war, “reads part of the message.

However, he rejected President Kiir’s call for national dialogue recently, describing it as an attempt to divert attention from the ongoing genocide in Equatoria, Western Bahr al-Ghazal and Unity states.

The opposition leader noted that the revived agreement should provide the roadmap for a national dialogue to be conducted in a stable and peaceful environment.

According to Machar, the national dialogue declared by President Kiir in Juba cannot replace a political process to end the ongoing war. He called on the African Union to support a new political process to end the ongoing war across the country.