Following international pressure, as covered in this HNGN article, president of South Sudan, Salva Kiir, has finally agreed to sign a peace deal with rebels in the country's capital, Juba, on Wednesday. The presidents of Kenya and Uganda, as well as the prime minister of Ethiopia, were in attendance.
The peace deal aims to provide a significant step in ending a brutal war that has plagued the country for more than two years. Despite the signing of the deal, many remain pessimistic; since the civil war started in 2013, at least eight peace deals have collapsed even before taking effect, according to The New York Times.
In fact, even as the latest accord was being completed, numerous skirmishes were being reported around the country between the clashing factions.
The latest peace accord was marred with hesitation from the leader of the government himself. Riek Machar, who used to be a deputy for Kiir and who is currently the leader of the rebellion against the government, agreed to the terms of the accord offered last week, reports Al Jazeera.
Kiir however, refused to sign the peace deal immediately, stating that his government needed more time to study the accord. The president's refusal was not met with enthusiasm by the international community, with the U.N. Security Council stating that it would take immediate action if the government didn't sign the treaty by Wednesday.
U.S. President Barack Obama, together with regional leaders, have also threatened to expand international sanctions and impose an arms embargo on the country if the deal was not signed on time.
With the deal signed, many hope that it is a significant step towards ending the deadly conflict in the young nation. The civil war has so far displaced 2.2 million people from the country, with about 200,000 taking refuge at United Nations bases that are neither equipped nor staffed to handle the massive influx of people.
