UNMISS Deputy Special Representative for South Sudan and Resident Humanitarian Coordinator Sara Beysolow Nyanti met with community members in Pigi County. (Photo by UNMISS).

The government of South Sudan should focus on ending the recurrent communal violence at local levels to achieve peace progress during the transitional period, says a United Nations official on Monday.

Sara Beysolow Nyanti, the Deputy Special Representative in the UN Mission (UNMISS) and Resident Coordinator in South Sudan, called on all parties to the 2018 revitalized peace deal to accomplish the pending critical tasks before February 2025.

Speaking during the UN Day in Juba on Monday, Nyanti said there is need for more critical work to be done to end sub-national violence and restore peace at local levels.

“The extension of the peace agreement needs to be translated into a reduction of incidents of sub-national violence and inter-communal conflicts,” she said during celebrations to mark the UN’s Day in Juba.

The UN official welcomed the recent graduation of some of the first batch of unified forces and emphasized the need for an all-inclusive constitution-making process to pave way for free, fair and credible elections.

For his part, the Minister of Peace-building Stephen Par Kuol appealed to the peace parties to work together for a successful implementation of the outstanding issues.

According to UN reports, sporadic incidents of sub-national violence and factional clashes have become a major setback to the unity government since political violence subsided in 2018.

The most recent outbreak of communal conflicts at the Warrap – Abyei border, and in Upper Nile State reportedly left dozens of people dead and thousands double-displaced.