UN chief urges full cooperation of South Sudan parties to solve crisis

The UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon called for "full cooperation" of all parties in finding a peaceful solution to the crisis of South Sudan on Monday, in a phone call with its president Salva Kiir. Ban welcomed Kiir's commitment to a cessation of hostilities and readiness to engage opposition leaders in dialogue and encouraged him to consider the early release of political prisoners, said the UN spokesperson's office. He reiterated full UN support for mediation efforts by the East African regional bloc known as the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) and called for full cooperation by all parties in finding a peaceful solution. Ban also stressed the need to hold accountable those responsible for attacks on civilians. On Monday morning, the UN Security Council held a crisis meeting on the latest efforts to reinforce UN peacekeepers in the world's newest country, on which the Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations, Herve Ladsous, and the Secretary-General' s Special Representative in South Sudan, Hilde Johnson made a briefing, the latter via video link. Ladsous said that much progress had been made on finding reinforcements for UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS), including both troops and equipment such as helicopters. "We have been working round the clock to secure the contributions, the contingents and the equipment," he said. "It's a situation that is really tragic. It's impossible to assess the number of casualties, but it's really pretty high," French ambassador Gerard Araud, rotating President of the Security Council of this month, told reporters after the close-door consultation. The conflict began on Dec. 15 when Kiir's government said soldiers loyal to former deputy president Riek Machar, dismissed in July, launched an attempted coup. The Security Council adopted a resolution last week to send an reinforcement of 5,500 troops and 440 policemen to increase the overall force levels of the UN Mission in South Sudan. The UN mission conducted aerial reconnaissance on Sunday and reported that it has identified some armed groups north-east of Bor, the capital city of the volatile Jonglei State. It cannot, however, independently confirm the size or precise location of these groupings. Bor remains under the overall control of government troops, according to UNMISS. The mission also reports that the capital city Juba remains tense but quiet for the 11th consecutive day. According to the UN, the fighting in South Sudan has led to well over 1,000 deaths and the displacement of at least 180,000 people.