SS government delegation attends peace talks in Addis Ababa - Jan 4, 2014

The European Union has urged both parties to the conflict in South Sudan to stop fighting and find a political solution to the crisis.

The EU Envoy to the Horn of Africa region, Alexander Rondos, made the call after IGAD mediators announced the official launch of the direct talks in Addis yesterday.

Mr. Rondos said South Sudan’s entire leadership has a responsibility to end the suffering without delay.

“A cessation of hostilities must happen now as people are suffering, are dying. We can’t afford to tolerate people suffering in that way while politicians are in a nice hotel somewhere outside the country. Our message is very straightforward. The responsibility for the situation that we find ourselves in lies with the political leadership of South Sudan and the entire political leadership needs to find a resolution. There are no alibis, only they can find that solution,” he told journalists.

Mr Rondos added that it is crucial that political prisoners be released for the peace talks to be successful.

“The whole representation of the political leadership should become engaged in these discussions and that means, therefore, those detained – and we are entirely one, the African Union and IGAD – should be liberated so that they become part of the discussions which involve all the political leadership of South Sudan, it has got to be sustainable,” he said.

The European Union is one of IGAD’s partners closely following the South Sudan peace talks in Addis Ababa.