Troika countries comprising of United States, United Kingdom and Norway joined six European nations, Canada and the European Union or EU to condemn the government and the opposition forces for human rights violations and obstructing UN efforts in South Sudan.
Ambassadors and Charg√© d’Affaires of the US, United Kingdom, Norway, France, Germany, The Netherlands, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Canada and the EU strongly supported the United Nations Mission in South Sudan or UNMISS and its work for South Sudanese.
“We strongly condemn the continued obstruction of UNMISS operations by Government and opposition forces and any threats to UNMISS personnel,” said the statement on Friday.
It added that “all threats and attacks on United Nations personnel and facilities are unacceptable and may constitute violations of international law.”
The statement condemned both the government and opposition forces for human rights abuse, violations of international humanitarian law that resulted in the loss of lives, internal and external displacements.
The countries expressed “concern at the dire humanitarian situation” and urged all parties to urgently allow humanitarian organizations to access populations in need.
The statement also called for an immediate halt to all fighting, urging the parties to fully participate in the peace talks in Addis Ababa.