The United States said Sunday it is“skeptical” that South Sudan President Salva Kiir and opposition leader Riek Machar can oversee an end to the conflict.
"We remain skeptical that they can oversee a peaceful and timely transition to democracy and good governance,” The White House said in a statement.
The Trump administration said it is “deeply concerned” about the direction of the current South Sudan peace process.
“The only hope for success is a process that is widely inclusive of the views of the South Sudanese people and that engages civil society, churches, women, and other excluded groups. A narrow agreement between elites will not solve the problems plaguing South Sudan,” it said.
The United States said it won’t fund South Sudan’s transitional government in the absence of a sustained, demonstrated commitment to peace, inclusivity, financial accountability and good governance.
“The South Sudanese people deserve an end to the violence and a future marked by prosperity and freedom from fear,” partly reads the White House statement.
The statement also condemned South Sudan lawmakers’ recent extension of Kiir’s term in office until 2021, urging the government to commit fully to negotiations that are truly inclusive and result in a new, representative, and accountable transitional government that grants a meaningful voice and power in governance and security to civil society and opposition groups.
The United States pointed out that it is prepared to sanction additional persons engaged in corrupt activity and those who threaten the peace, security, or stability of South Sudan.
The UN Security Council earlier this month imposed an arms embargo on war-torn South Sudan.