South Sudan president slams western countries over failure to fund peace process

00:00 AM February, 08 2019

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File photo shows South Sudanese President Salva Kiir delivers a speech during peace celebrations in Juba, capital of South Sudan, on Oct. 31, 2018. (Xinhua/Wang Teng)

JUBA, Feb. 8 (Xinhua) -- South Sudan's President Salva Kiir on Friday criticized western donors over failure to fund the implementation of the revitalized peace agreement to end more than five years of conflict in the country.

Kiir who spoke to senior officials from the ruling Sudan People's Liberation Movement (SPLM) said western countries and the donor community have adopted "wait and see" attitude as a way to stall the implementation of the September peace deal.

"If America has refused to recognize the agreement, the other European countries and Western countries will not pay their money, so everybody has adopted the position of 'wait and see' because they think we will fight as soon as the opposition comes in," said Kiir.

He revealed that the peace implementation process was facing difficulties due to lack of funding, urging all the party members, including the opposition leaders to join efforts and lobby for funding for the sake of the country to achieve stability.

"We should now all focus on the future of our country. We will do this through peace implementation, sending out positive and reconciliatory messages that are aimed at repairing our social fabric," said Kiir.

In September 2018, President Salva Kiir and Riek Machar, leader of the Sudan People's Liberation Movement-in-Opposition (SPLM-IO), agreed to the final peace deal mediated by Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir under the auspices of the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), an east African bloc.

The oil-rich nation has been torn apart by war since 2013, while the conflict has created one of the fastest growing refugee crises in the world.

South Sudan has more than four million displaced persons while more than seven million or half of the country's population, risk starvation due to a combination of conflicts and climatic shocks.

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