Fear remains after South Sudan ceasefire JUBA (AFP) – South Sudan’s warring sides may have signed a ceasefire, but David Choul is not ready to leave the UN peacekeepers’ base, to which he had fled when gunmen rampaged through his neighbourhood during the brutal conflict. “I’m not leaving until I know I’ll be safe outside, and I don’t know when that will be,” said Choul, who is one of 17,000 people who have squeezed into the former sports ground for safety. Like him, other South Sudanese traumatised by the killings and other atrocities since fighting broke out on December 15 are waiting to see if the peace would indeed hold as pledged by political leaders. “This morning… people have been busy queuing for the latrines, or to get clean water, or waiting for a cup of tea… no one I know is preparing to leave yet, they want to wait to see how things turn out,” Choul said. As news broke of Thursday’s ceasefire deal, “everyone crowded around those with a radio, and while there was relief at the news, but it was not celebration,” the 23-year-old student recounted. “It is a good step, but how can you celebrate when you we are still too frightened to leave the camp?” he said, speaking by crackling telephone from inside the UN base. “We are still so worried.” The fighting that has seized the country for over a month has seen waves of brutal revenge attacks, as fighters and ethnic militia took the opportunity to loot and settle old scores. Both the United Nations and rights workers have reported horrific atrocities committed by both sides. The agreement, signed late Thursday in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa by representatives of President Salva Kiir and rebel delegates loyal to ousted vice president Riek Machar, was greeted by cheers from regional peace brokers and diplomats. In the camps where South Sudanese are still hiding, the reaction was more muted. Over 67,000 people are sheltering inside UN bases across South Sudan, fearing they will be killed if they leave, while more than half a million people have been forced from their homes. Aid workers and analysts believe up to 10,000 people have died. No quick resolution On the dusty streets of Juba — where daily life in many districts appears largely to be returning to normal — residents were also cautiously optimistic about the agreement. “This (the ceasefire) is what we want and what we have been praying for,” said Mary Konga, a 43-year old lady selling vegetables in Juba’s Munuki district. “We still pray that total peace comes to our country, we are tired of suffering.” Others were more sceptical, saying they would wait to see if it was implement#J
Posted on: Fri, 24 Jan 2014 18:45:11 +0000
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