UN welcomes South Sudan's extension of transitional gov't

The United Nations Mission in South Sudan, (UNMISS) on Wednesday welcomed South Sudan's move to extend the transitional government by two years.

The UNMISS said in a statement that the move would enable the implementation of critical outstanding tasks in the Revitalized Peace Agreement.

The mission called on the authorities to embark on extra efforts to bring on board any other stakeholders, guarantors, and witnesses.

It urged all the parties and signatories to the Agreement to work together, in an expeditious manner towards the full implementation of the remaining key benchmarks to ensure that a conducive atmosphere is created for free, fair, and credible elections at the end of the extended period.

Last week, peace parties in South Sudan signed a roadmap, extending the transitional government by 24 months.

South Sudan descended into violence in December 2013 following a political dispute between President Salva Kiir and his then deputy Riek Machar, leading soldiers loyal to the respective leaders to fight.

The conflict has killed tens of thousands and displaced more than 2 million people both internally and externally.