USG Policy on South Sudan

U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs, Linda Thomas-Greenfield, testified on 9 January 2014 before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on South Sudan.  In her opening statement, she set forth U.S. policy towards South Sudan:

• The United States will not countenance the armed overthrow of the democratically elected government.
• Hostilities must stop and violence directed at civilian populations must end; those responsible for perpetrating human rights abuses will be held accountable.
• The crisis will not be solved on the battlefield; resolution will come only through dialogue and inclusive reconciliation.
• All parties must permit immediate and unconditional humanitarian access to all in need.

The assistant secretary offered strong support to the efforts by IGAD, former Ethiopian foreign minister Seyoum Mesfin, and Kenyan General Lazaro Sumbeiywo to find a peaceful solution through political dialogue. She urged that the South Sudan government release the political prisoners being held in Juba. She explained that the United States is exploring the possibility of appropriate pressures against individuals on both sides who interfere with the peace and reconciliation process or are responsible for serious human rights abuses.