UN urges restraint after S Sudan minister’s sacking

The UN mission in South Sudan says it’s following the recent sacking of the defence minister – urging “parties to exercise restraint and engage in a collegial spirit in order to resolve such sensitive national issues”.

President Salva Kiir sacked the country’s first female defence minister, Angelina Teny, who is from the main opposition party – with the party calling for her reinstatement.

On Monday, the UN envoy to the country, Nicholas Haysom, called for the transitional government in South Sudan to implement a peace agreement to hold “credible elections” next year.

He told the UN Security Council that 2023 was a “make or break” year, noting that parties had agreed there would be no extensions on the timelines of the peace deal.

He noted key hurdles that the country must address to complete the transitional phase next year, including the drafting of a new constitution.

He said it was an opportunity for South Sudanese to agree how they would live harmoniously and avoid a repeat of civil wars that have plagued the country.

A five-year civil war that ended in 2018 claimed the lives of almost 400,000 people. It led to a peace agreement and the formation of a transitional government led by President Kiir and his rival Riek Machar.

Mr Haysom noted that there was still armed violence occurring in parts of the country, which “increasingly present an ethnic or tribal dimension”, posing a threat to the peace process.