The United States government on Wednesday said it will re-evaluate its relationship with South Sudan after the country’s rival leaders failed to form a coalition government by the deadline agreed as per the peace accord, reported Reuters.
President Salva Kiir and opposition leader Riek Machar had a November 12 deadline to form a unity government. But, last week, the two leaders agreed to postpone the formation of the government for 100 days as they wanted more time to solve the security and governance issues.
“We will work bilaterally and with the international community to take action against all those impeding South Sudan’s peace process,” U.S. State Department spokeswoman Morgan Ortagus said in a statement.
Ortagus added that Washington would also seek to establish a new paradigm to achieve peace and a successful political transition in South Sudan with others in the region.
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo also wrote on Twitter that President Kiir and Machar’s failure to form a unity government in South Sudan by the deadline calls into question their suitability to continue to lead the nation. He said the U.S. will reevaluate its relationship with the Government of South Sudan and work to take action.
Notably, the unity government is the only way to get South Sudan out of a five-year civil war that killed tens of thousands and at its height displaced more than 4 million people. The civil war erupted in late 2013, when supporters of Kiir and Machar, clashed.
Responding to Washington’s statement, South Sudan government spokesman Ateny Wek Ateny said the statement was disappointing. However, he said that the government understands the U.S. position on the issue. He added that the South Sudanese government also wanted the coalition government formed on time.
“The president wasn’t willing to extend until we realized the opposition was adamant to see the extension done or they’d go back to war,” Ateny said.
