A group of western embassies in Juba on Tuesday proposed that President Salva Kiir and First Vice President Dr. Riek Machar and other leaders meet directly to restore peace and said they are prepared to facilitate the talks.
A press statement said the embassies condemned the ongoing violence in Nile State.
“The Embassies of Canada, Germany, the Netherlands, Norway, the United Kingdom, and the United States, as well as the Delegation of the European Union deplore the continued violence in Upper Nile State, including aerial bombardment in Nasir County and credible reports of civilian casualties,” the statement reads in part. “We remain concerned about reports of SSPDF survivors of the Nasir garrison who have been unable to return to safe locations as well as of continued detentions in Juba of senior officials without charges.”
“We reaffirm as a matter of urgency our call that South Sudan’s leaders, including President Salva Kiir and First Vice President Riek Machar, meet and engage in direct dialogue to restore and maintain peace. We are prepared to facilitate their discussion,” the statement added.
The western embassies further called on all South Sudan’s leaders to avoid unilateral actions, to reject the use of violence as a tool for political competition, and to put the interests of the South Sudanese people first.