South Sudan’s new presidency has called on refugees in neighbouring countries to return home, vowing to provide all kinds of support to resettle them.
This comes after the presidency held its inaugural meeting in Juba on Wednesday, barely five days after the previous government was dissolved. The meeting was chaired by President Salva Kiir.
The conflict that killed hundreds of thousands of people in South Sudan has spawned a massive refugee crisis, pushing many of those fleeing the fighting to neighbouring countries.
The economy is currently in ruins, nearly five million people need aid and more than 188,000 people are crammed into UN peacekeeping camps across the country.
In a statement after the first meeting, the presidency called on citizens in the UN "Protection of Civilians" sites to come out and for refugees in neighbouring countries to return home and resettle.
“The government will do its utmost best to ensure they are supported and resettled in their home areas,” the presidency said.
The new unity government called for forgiveness among all the South Sudanese people, saying the president and all the vice presidents have forgiven each other.
The presidency further said it discussed the security situation in Jonglei State and greater Pibor area where inter-communal fighting is continuing. The presidency condemned the violence that is taking place in the area.
The presidency stated that there are committees from all sides working on the allocation of the ministries and the cabinet will be announced as soon as the committees finish the task.
The president and his five deputies called on the holdout group South Sudan Opposition Movements Alliance (SSOMA) to join the peace process.
On Monday, the members of the holdout opposition group called on the new government to engage in constructive talks with them to achieve sustainable peace in the country.