23 January 2014 - Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and the UN Security Council today welcomed the signing of a cessation of hostilities agreement between anti- and pro-government forces in South Sudan.

Representatives of President Salva Kiir and former deputy president Riek Machar signed the agreement following three-weeks of talks mediated by the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) in the Ethiopian capital of Addis Ababa.

Mr. Ban “calls on the parties to immediately implement this agreement,” his spokesperson said in a statement, which also congratulates IGAD on its “successful mediation”.

The UN chief also underscored the need to continue without delay a national political dialogue to reach a comprehensive peace agreement, with the participation of all South Sudanese political and civil society representatives, including the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement/Army (SPLM/A) detainees.

The ceasefire seeks to ease a political dispute between President Kiir and Mr. Machar, who was removed from office in July of 2013 and later accused of attempting a coup.

Tensions escalated on 15 December into a full-scale conflict between forces loyal to either side, driving 400,000 people from their homes and leaving twice as many in dire need of aid.

The 15 members of the Security Council voiced their support for the agreement, welcoming the signing as a move towards comprehensive reconciliation dealing with root causes of the conflict. The Council also condemned violent attacks against civilians.

“The Council Members, all of them, expressed support for UNMISS and reiterated importance that all parties cooperate fully with UNMISS,” said Mahmoud Daifallah Mahmoud Hmoud, Senior Deputy Permanent Representative of Jordan, which holds this month’s rotating presidency of the Council.

He spoke following a closed-door briefing, via video link from Juba, by Hilde Johnson, the head of UNMISS, and Ivan Simonovic, UN Assistant-Secretary-General for Human Rights, who just returned from an official visit to the country.

In addition, Mr. Hmoud said the Council condemned “attacks and accusations mounted against UNMISS and called for all parties to stop such acts and cooperate with [the mission] in the fulfillment of its mandate.”

Echoing the need for cooperation, Mr. Ban reiterated his call for all parties to ensure freedom of movement for UNMISS, humanitarian workers and human rights monitors, and welcomed the South Sudanese government’s reassurances of its full support for the mission and commitment to honour its Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA).

“The United Nations stands with the people of South Sudan and will continue to do everything within its means to protect civilians at risk and provide the necessary humanitarian assistance,” Mr. Ban said.

Meanwhile, UNMISS peacekeepers today completed weapons searches in their eight main bases, where some 76,000 civilians continue to seek refuge.

The weapons searches come just days after Secretary-General Ban voiced alarm at the attempt on Sunday by senior members of South Sudan’s government and military to forcibly enter into the UNMISS compound in Bor, Jonglei state.

In the past 24 hours, the mission has carried out 186 military patrols and 62 police patrols in the capital Juba, and in Jonglei, Unity and Upper Nile states.

There are reports of fighting continuing to occur “in multiple locations in the country”, the spokesperson said.

According to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), around 468,000 people are estimated to have been displaced within South Sudan since 15 December. An additional 83,900 have crossed into neighbouring countries, over half to Uganda.

In Malakal, in the north-eastern part of the country, the UNMISS human rights division continues efforts to verify and document the accuracy of reported serious human rights violations.

Reports and allegations relate to violations by both the so-called ‘White Army’ when it controlled the town, and by the Sudan People’s Liberation Army (SPLA) after it regained control after 20 January.

Verification by the human rights team, at this stage, has been extremely difficult because of fighting and subsequent lack of access.