The United States says ongoing conflict in South Sudan continues to deny citizens the stability and peace they were promised when the country gained independence. “Fifteen years after the world watched the promising beginning of South Sudan, conflict continues to rob its people of long-promised stability,” Locetta said. Locetta also pointed to renewed fighting in Akobo between the South Sudan People’s Defense Forces and the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-in-Opposition, saying the violence does not represent the future envisioned for South Sudan. “The people of South Sudan need leaders who choose peace over power, and accountability over impunity,” she said. The United States called on all signatories to the 2018 peace agreement to return to dialogue and take steps to prevent further violence.