US Special Envoy for South Sudan and Sudan Donald Booth has called on the rival parties to the South Sudan conflict to heed pressure for peace talks and move faster to save lives of displaced persons from pending famine.

Speaking to reporters in Juba on Wednesday, Booth said the US will maintain it efforts to ensure that peace talks resume in Addis Ababa.

“We are working with the parties to the conflict, with other stakeholders from South Sudan: civil society, religious leaders, political parties to try to put an end to the conflict so that this humanitarian situation can begin to be turned around before so many South Sudanese begin to suffer starvation,” he said.

Of 1.4 million people forced away form their homes, 300,000 are in neighboring countries as refugees, 1.1 million are leaving in internally displaced camps.

“3.8 million, almost 4 million people are at this point already experiencing severe food insecurity. And this is not result of drought or floods. This is a result of conflict,” the top American diplomat said.

“I think the important thing though is the parties to the talks,” he said, urging the South Sudanese to move to substantive discussions on issues such as security reform, services delivery by using oil revenue appropriately, and justice for victims of crimes allegedly committed during the conflict.  

Peace talks mediated by the East African regional body IGAD have been suspended since June. The mediators have announced 30 June as a tentative date for resuming the talks

US Embassy photo