Oxfam reaction to the agreement between South Sudan President Kiir and Oposition leader Machar at the IGAD Summit

In response to the agreement between President Salva Kiir and Opposition leader Riek Machar at the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) Extraordinary Summit on South Sudan in Addis Ababa yesterday, Oxfam’s South Sudan Country Director Cecilia Millan said:

“This is the strongest commitment we have seen from both parties to the conflict since fighting broke out in December, and it is now up to President Kiir and Dr Machar to honor these commitments and bring desperately needed peace to South Sudan. The people of this country have been forced to endure too much in the past six months – conflict, hunger and displacement. It can’t be allowed to go on any longer.

“The leaders need to act swiftly on their promises by calling on their troops to lay down their arms immediately. At the same time they should rapidly map out plans for a transitional government come into force and shepherd the country out of crisis.

"The East African community has also spoken out. The 'punitive measures' that IGAD has proposed reflect the fact that the conflict in South Sudan not only affects people within the country's borders - it affects the whole region. As South Sudanese refugee numbers continue to climb - currently 360,000 since fighting began in December - President Kiir and Dr Machar need to start acting in the best interests of their people to prevent further devastation in this young nation."