UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Saturday urged leaders of South Sudan to form a unity government in order to put an end to the suffering of their people.
“Think about your people, respect your people, you have not the right to continue the confrontation when your people are suffering so much,” Guterres told reporters in Addis Ababa ahead of an African Union summit.
The UN chief called upon South Sudan’s political leaders to find a solution to the key pending tasks of the pre-transitional period. “It is time for South Sudanese leaders to agree, cooperate and to deserve the wonderful people they have,” he said.
According to Guterres, political differences among South Sudan leaders will increase the suffering of the ordinary citizens.
“It is your moral and political responsibility to put an end to this and to find the agreements that are necessary to make South Sudan enter into a normal life,” he stressed.
With a February 22 deadline fast approaching for South Sudan’s leaders to form a transitional government, there is still no deal on how many states the country should have or their internal boundaries.
On Sunday, President Salva Kiir and opposition leader Riek Machar ended a closed-door meeting in Addis Ababa without a deal.
Under the terms of the 2018 peace deal, South Sudan’s rival leaders are to create a unified army and agree on the number of states and their boundaries.