Page 10 - ARUBA TODAY

A10 WORLD NEWS
Tuesday 21 augusT 2018

South Sudan claims civil war is over but skepticism abounds

By SAM MEDNICK of roughly 12 million is near
Associated Press starvation, according to
NYAL, South Sudan (AP) U.N. agencies.
— South Sudan’s govern- The idea that the two men
ment claims the shattering whose rivalry has caused so
five-year civil war is finally much destruction are now
over, but there is consider- in charge of finding peace
able skepticism. It wasn’t has alarmed some in the in-
helped by the sight of Presi- ternational community and
dent Salva Kiir refusing to on the ground.
shake the hand of rival Riek “We have seen time again
Machar after they signed that power-sharing is a
a power-sharing deal this recipe for more conflict in
month, according to video South Sudan and that Sal-
footage seen by The Asso- va Kiir and Riek Machar are
ciated Press. in fact obstacles to ending
This latest attempt at peace the war and not vehicles for
already shows cracks, with resolving the conflict,” said
the armed opposition last Payton Knopf, a former co-
week saying several key ordinator of the U.N. panel
issues, including reconcilia- of experts on South Sudan
tion, are yet to be resolved and former U.S. diplomat.
as the warring forces pre- In this photo taken Wednesday, Aug. 15, 2018, people travel by canoe between small islands off As part of the new peace
pare to merge and Machar mainland from the opposition-held town of Nyal in Unity state, in South Sudan. agreement, Machar will
is set to return to the capital Associated Press return as one of five vice
as Kiir’s deputy once more. talks as it eyes South Sudan’s ated Africa’s largest refu- dent’s office. presidents. Government
Machar’s side won’t sign oil resources, the United gee crisis since the 1994 The civil war in the world’s and opposition forces will
a final agreement that States and many South Su- Rwandan genocide, ner- youngest nation has killed merge into one national
doesn’t ensure “account- danese express deep con- vously awaits the rebel tens of thousands of peo- army. A three-year tran-
ability and justice and free cern that the fragile peace leader’s return. ple and sent more than sitional period will follow,
and fair elections” at the deal will end in violence as South Sudan’s government 2 million fleeing since the culminating in elections.
end of the three-year tran- the previous one did in July acknowledges that some fighting erupted between Machar is expected to re-
sition period, chairman Ma- 2016, with Machar fleeing issues remain but says the supporters of Kiir and then- turn within eight months,
bior Garang de Mabior told his vice president post, and current deal is genuine. deputy Machar in Decem- but opposition chairman
AP. the country, on foot. “It is the end of the war and ber 2013, two years after Mabior said that will hap-
Even as negotiations con- Now this East African na- the beginning of a new the country won indepen- pen only with signs the
tinue in Sudan, which has tion, whose civil war along era,” said Maal Maker Thi- dence from Sudan. Half of agreement is being carried
taken the lead in peace largely ethnic lines has cre- ong, who works in the presi- the remaining population out.q

Russia: West is obstructing aid to Syria, return of refugees

backer of Syrian President famous archaeological vertly exploit international
Bashar Assad, helping his sites in the Syrian city of Pal- organizations.”
forces to regain control myra. He said the U.N. Sec- He also criticized recent
over most of the country. retariat’s political depart- comments by Filippo Gran-
Now Moscow is calling on ment has explicitly banned di, the head of the U.N. ref-
Western countries, which any involvement in recon- ugee agency, who said last
backed the opposition, to struction in Syria pending a week that it was too soon
help fund reconstruction political settlement. to talk about the mass re-
efforts, saying it would re- Lavrov added that he patriation of the more than
duce the flow of refugees voiced a strong protest 5 million Syrian refugees.
and migrants to Western against the move in a Lavrov said the UNHCR
Europe. phone conversation with should not be a “subsid-
Speaking after the talks U.N. Secretary-General An- iary of a group of Western
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, attends his meeting with with Bassil, Lavrov bristled tonio Guterres. countries.”
Lebanon’s Foreign Minister Gebran Bassil in Moscow, Russia, at the U.S. and its Western “It’s inadmissible when a Lavrov also charged that
Monday, Aug. 20, 2018. allies for making assistance group of countries manipu- al-Qaida militants located
Associated Press to Syria contingent on a lates secretariats of interna- near al-Tanf in southeast-
By VLADIMIR ISACHENKOV rov said after talks with his political transition process. tional organizations, which ern Syria, where U.S. military
Associated Press Lebanese counterpart, Gi- He also accused the West are supposed to be unbi- advisers are based, have
MOSCOW (AP) — bran Bassil, that the U.S. re- of pressuring the United Na- ased and independent,” launched raids intended
Russia lashed out at West- fusal to provide assistance tions to stay away from re- Lavrov said. to prevent refugees from
ern countries on Monday, for rebuilding Syria after construction efforts in Syria. “The U.N. was created on coming back from Jordan.
accusing them of blocking more than seven years of Lavrov said Moscow is look- the basis of ... equality of all Bassil said Lebanon, which
U.N. aid for Syria’s recon- fighting would deter Syr- ing into why the U.N. cul- countries. is hosting more than 1 mil-
struction and trying to pre- ians from returning to their tural agency, UNESCO, is I strongly urge our Western lion refugees, fully supports
vent the return of refugees. homes. dragging its feet on the partners to return to that Russian efforts to help Syr-
Foreign Minister Sergey Lav- Russia has been the chief reconstruction of world- principle and not try to co- ians return.q