The outgoing head of the United Nations Mission in South Sudan says she will continue to advocate for a bright future for the people of the country.

The Special Representative and Head of the United Nations Mission in South Sudan, Ellen Margrethe Løj, informed UN boss Ban ki-Moon last week that she will be stepping down from her role at the end of next month.

“Although the road ahead will be challenging, I remain hopeful that peace will prevail and that this young nation will finally live out its great promise,” Ms Loj said in a press statement issued this morning.

“I look forward to the day where the girls and boys of South Sudan will never know the trauma of war again and will be able to actualize their full potential.”

She had planned to retire at the end of her current contract, which ended at the end of August of this year, but chose to remain following the outbreak of violence in July and until the situation could stabilize.

Ms Løj, a native of Denmark, succeeded Ms Hilde Johnson in 2014.