UNITED NATIONS, Feb. 23 (Xinhua) -- UN's peacekeeping chief on Friday promised strong support for South Sudan amid a dire humanitarian situation, intercommunal violence and threats to its first general election, a UN spokesman said.
At a joint press conference in the South Sudan capital of Juba, Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations Jean-Pierre Lacroix, with the UN secretary-general's special envoy to the Horn of Africa Hanna Tetteh, expressed concern about the spillover effect of the Sudan civil war, said Stephane Dujarric, chief spokesman for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.
The spokesman said both officials ended their week-long visit to the region, where they met with political leaders in South Sudan and traveled to the contested province of Abyei to support efforts to address rising insecurity.
"For her part, Madame Tetteh said the impact of the hostilities in Sudan and the violence in Abyei are reverberating across the Horn of Africa," Dujarric said. "She also called for urgent, intensive dialogue to prevent clashes between Twic Dinka and Ngok Dinka groups."
Dujarric also said the trip allowed Lacroix to commend his UN colleagues for their work and commitment to deliver in challenging conditions.
The chance of holding the first election since independence in South Sudan, scheduled for July, is in doubt because of the challenges, mainly insecurity.
More than 50 people were killed during the intercommunal violence in Abyei in late January and early February, including two UN peacekeepers. ■
