South Sudan: Peace Negotiations

(asked on 17th January 2018) - View Source

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what the current status is of peace talks between the different parties in South Sudan; and if he will make an estimate of the current level of civilian casualties as a result of the conflict.


Answered by
Harriett Baldwin Portrait
Harriett Baldwin
This question was answered on 22nd January 2018

Following the first round of the High Level Revitalisation Forum (RVF), on 21 December all parties to the conflict in South Sudan agreed a Cessation of Hostilities. However, violations have since taken place in many areas, causing civilian as well as combatant casualties. The second round of the RVF is scheduled to commence in February, and the British Government is continuing to encourage all parties to commit to the process with a genuine commitment to peace.

The conflict is estimated to have led to more than 100,000 deaths since it began in December 2013, but the fragile security situation means that accurate estimates are difficult to produce, and the real number of civilian casualties is likely to be significantly higher. Over 4 million people, a third of the population, have fled their homes, including 2 million who have fled to neighbouring countries. In early 2018, 1.5 million people are expected to be on the brink of famine, more than twice as many as in January 2017.

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