February 02, 2026 07:52 am (IST)
Follow us:
South Sudan: UN meets rebel leader to discuss peace efforts
New York, May 24 (IBNS): The top United Nations official in South Sudan has met with rebel leader David Yau Yau to discuss peace efforts in Greater Pibor County, Jonglei state, which was once the epicentre of instability in the country.
During a meeting on Thursday, Special Representative of the Secretary-General, Hilde Johnson, commended Yau Yau, the leader of the South Sudan Democratic Movement/Army (SSDM/A) for his role in facilitating an end to violence in the area.
The rebel group signed a peace agreement with the Government of South Sudan on 9 May in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, which “will lay the foundation of a durable peace for all the people and communities of Pibor and surrounding counties,” she said.
Johnson, who is also the head of the UN peacekeeping mission in the country (UNMISS), which among its traditional responsibilities is protecting tens of thousands of civilians, offered support to implement the agreement.
According to a statement from the Mission, David Yau Yau stressed that the agreement must be implemented as soon as possible so that people in the Greater Pibor can start to build trust and stability among their neighbours, and enjoy daily life without fighting.
Johnson reiterated her hope that the Government and the rebel group, SPLA/In Opposition, will follow suit and resolve their differences peacefully and end the country’s wider conflict.
The Pibor agreement came as a broader accord was signed on 9 May, also in the Ethiopian capital, by South Sudan’s President, Salva Kiir, and former Vice President Riek Machar, whose supporters have waged a five-month battle that has displaced hundreds of thousands of civilians and led to gross human rights violations by both sides.
[Special Representative and Head of the UN Mission in the Republic of South Sudan (UNMISS) Hilde Johnson. UN Photo/Paulo Filgueiras]
Support Our Journalism
We cannot do without you.. your contribution supports unbiased journalism
IBNS is not driven by any ism- not wokeism, not racism, not skewed secularism, not hyper right-wing or left liberal ideals, nor by any hardline religious beliefs or hyper nationalism. We want to serve you good old objective news, as they are. We do not judge or preach. We let people decide for themselves. We only try to present factual and well-sourced news.
Support objective journalism for a small contribution.
Latest Headlines
Epstein Files: Images show Prince Andrew crouching over woman, spark fresh embarrassment
Sun, Feb 01 2026
Burkina Faso’s military junta bans political parties: What triggered the move and what lies ahead
Sat, Jan 31 2026
Trump threatens 50% tariff on 'all Canadian aircraft', stoking fresh tensions with Ottawa
Fri, Jan 30 2026
EU labels Iran's Revolutionary Guards as 'terrorist organisation' amid deadly crackdown on protests
Fri, Jan 30 2026
EU set to designate Iran’s Revolutionary Guards as terror organisation alongside Al Qaeda, Hamas
Thu, Jan 29 2026
Civilian train hit as Russian strikes leave 12 dead in Ukraine
Wed, Jan 28 2026