Foreign Secretary William Hague said:

I welcome the signing of a ceasefire agreement in South Sudan, and the efforts of regional mediators that made this possible. The brutal violence of the last month has led to countless deaths and caused thousands of innocent people to endure unimaginable suffering. The government and opposition must ensure that their forces implement the agreement immediately and in full.

It is now vital that both sides work to heal the divisions that led to this conflict, and to strengthen governance in South Sudan. A genuinely inclusive process of national reconciliation is now needed, to give the people of South Sudan confidence that such violence can never reoccur. The UK is ready to lend its full support to these efforts in South Sudan.

I fully support the African Union’s decision to establish a Commission of Inquiry into alleged crimes committed during the conflict, and call on all sides to cooperate with it to ensure that those responsible for abuses are held accountable.

Further information

Read more: UK Envoy Tim Morris welcomed progress between parties to the conflict in South Sudan, on behalf of Troika Envoys from Norway, the UK and US

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