PSC/PR/COMM.(DCCLI) Page 1 COMMUNIQUE The Peace and Security Council (PSC) of the African Union (AU), at its 751st meeting held on 08 February 2018, adopted the following communiqué on the status of the Revitalization Process for the Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict of the Republic of South Sudan: Council, 1. Takes note of the briefings made by the African Union Commission Chairperson Special Representative in South Sudan, Ambassador Joram Biswaro, the Special Envoy of the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) for South Sudan, Ambassador Ismail Wais, the Deputy Chairperson of the Joint Monitoring and Evaluation Commission (JMEC), Ambassador Lt. General Augostino S.K Njoroge, and the United Nations (UN) Special Envoy for Sudan and South Sudan, Mr. Nicholas Haysom, as well as the Deputy Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for South Sudan and Deputy Head of the UN Mission in the Republic of South Sudan (UNMISS), Mr. Moustapha Soumaré, on the political, economic and humanitarian developments in South Sudan, as well as the ongoing IGAD-led High Level Revitalization Forum (HLRF). Council also takes note of the statements delivered by the Permanent Representatives of South Sudan; and Ethiopia, in its capacity as the Chair of the Inter-Governmental Authority on Development (IGAD) and African Member of the UN Security Council (A3), as well as Cote d’Ivoire in its capacity as A3; 2. Recalls its previous pronouncements on the situation in South Sudan, particularly communiqué PSC/AHG/COMM(DCXXVI), adopted at its 626 th meeting held on 19 September 2016 in New York, at the level of Heads of State and Government, as well as communiqués and press statements issued at its 667th, 714th and 720th meetings held on 17 March 2017 and 29 August 2017 and 20 September 2017, respectively; 3. Expresses its full support for the ongoing IGAD Heads of States and Government engagement in the search for a lasting solution to the conflict in South Sudan and reiterates its conviction that the Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in the Republic of South Sudan (ARCSS) remains the only viable option towards addressing the challenges facing South Sudan. Council commends the South Sudanese parties for displaying the spirit of compromise that led to the signing on 21 December 2017, in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, of the Agreement on the Cessation of Hostilities, Protection of Civilians and Humanitarian Access and expresses its full support to the second phase of the HLRF taking place from 5 to 16 February 2018 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. In this regard, Council calls on the South Sudanese parties to participate in the Forum in good faith, with a view to reaching a compromise and bringing South Sudan back to the path of sustainable peace and stability; 4. Commends the engagement of the AU High Representative for South Sudan, former President Alpha Omar Konare of Mali and welcomes the re-engagement of the AU High Level Ad Hoc Committee on South Sudan in the peace process in South Sudan. Council encourages further interactions between the AU High Level Ad Hoc Committee and the IGAD, with a view to ensure appropriate support to the IGAD led peace process;