UN Security Council urges end to South Sudan violence

The United Nations Security Council on Friday called on all factions in South Sudan to stop fighting immediately, saying that “there is no military solution to the conflict” in the world’s youngest country.

The UNSC said in a statement that it “strongly condemned continued fighting across South Sudan, particularly incidents in the Equatoria and Upper Nile regions of South Sudan and called on all parties to cease hostilities immediately.”

South Sudan has been at war since December 2013 after President Salva Kiir accused his then deputy Riek Machar of plotting a coup against his government. Machar denied the allegations but then went on to mobilize a rebel force to fight the government.
A peace deal signed in 2015 has continually been violated by both parties, with fighting continuing in parts of the county.

Machar fled the capital in September 2016 after his forces clashed with those of Kiir in the capital Juba, and was replaced by Taban Deng-Gai as the first vice president.
The fighting has killed thousands and displaced more than 3.5 million people, and the UN has warned that if a solution is not found soon, the situation may escalate into genocide.