Taban Deng Gai, the first vice president of South Sudan, on Friday thanked China and other members of the international community for helping the world's youngest country in its efforts to end the conflict and rendering humanitarian aid to the people in need.
With the help of the regional body, including the African Union (AU), the Inergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), the European Union (EU) and China, "we reached and signed on Agreement on the Resolution of Conflict in South Sudan in August 2015, which are currently steadily implementing," he said while addressing the General Debate of the UN General Assembly.
"Allow me at this point, to express our sincere gratitude and thanks to the United Nations for the humanitarian assistance it has rendered and continue to render to our people," the vice president said.
"I would like to also thank IGAD, AU Troika, UN EU and China for their tireless efforts in ensuring that there was an agreement reached to end the conflict and return South Sudan to a peaceful and stable path," he said.
"At the moment, I can report to you with confidence that the situation in our country is stable, peaceful and that my government is functioning and life is returning back to normal," he told the 193-member General Assembly, which is holding its annual high-level debate on Sept. 20-26.
Gai's report at UN Headquarters in New York came after the July fighting between troops led by President Salva Kiir and those loyal to Vice President Riek Machar killed at least 272 people and forced more than 100,000 to seek refuge in neighboring countries.
Kiir and Machar's forces had fought a civil war which broke out in December 2013 and left tens of thousands dead. A peace deal signed in August 2015 by the rival leaders under UN pressure failed to quell the renewed violence.
Machar, whose whereabouts remain unknown, has vowed to fight on and overthrow President Kiir's government unless a protection force agreed upon by the African Union and the UN is deployed to the war-torn country.
