South Sudan, rebels agree to shaky cease-fire

ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia – South Sudan’s government and rebels signed a cease-fire deal Thursday that leaders hope will put a pause to five weeks of warfare that has killed thousands of soldiers and civilians.

The peace deal represents the first real progress since political friction turned violent Dec. 15, fueling countrywide battles with ethnic overtones. But questions were immediately raised about whether all fighters in South Sudan would abide by the agreement, and how long others would follow it.

The military spokesman for South Sudan, Col. Philip Aguer, cautioned that a group of rebel fighters from the former vice president’s Nuer ethnic group – thousands of armed youths known as the “White Army” – may not want peace.

Nhail Deng Nhail, the head of South Sudan’s negotiating team, said his side is worried that since many on the rebel side are civilians who took up arms, “it may become difficult to follow the cease-fire since they are not militarily disciplined.”

President Barack Obama welcomed the deal – technically called a cessation of hostilities – and described it as a “first critical step toward building a lasting peace.”

In a statement, he called on South Sudan’s leaders to implement it fully and start a political dialogue to resolve the conflict’s causes.