The Secretary-General welcomes the signing yesterday by Riek Machar and the Former Detainees of the compromise peace agreement put forth by the IGAD mediation. He takes note that President Salva Kiir initialled a copy of the agreement with some reservations. The Secretary-General expresses his strong hope that President Kiir will sign the agreement by the end of the 15-day deadline.

The Secretary-General wishes to thank the IGAD Mediation for its tireless efforts to assist the parties reach agreement. He is encouraged by the regional and international consensus in support of the agreement, which the United Nations also signed as a witness. He reaffirms the United Nations’ continued readiness to work with IGAD, the African Union and other international partners to finalize the agreement and move swiftly towards its implementation.

The Secretary-General is deeply pained by the horrendous suffering of South Sudanese civilians and calls on all belligerents to immediately cease all hostilities, uphold international human rights and humanitarian law, and extend their full cooperation to UNMISS and to the Humanitarian Country Team’s life-saving activities in South Sudan.