On January 21, 2015, delegates from three factions of the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM) signed an agreement laying out steps to reunite the opposing party factions.  According to a news article, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon welcomes the agreement and “calls for its immediate implementation, particularly the recommitment of President Salva Kiir and Dr. Riek Machar to respect the cessation of hostilities agreement, and encourages the signatories to resolve the leadership issues of the SPLM.”  The conflict between the party factions began in December 2013 “and subsequently turned into a full-fledged conflict that has sent nearly 100,000 civilians fleeing to bases around the country protected by the UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS). The crisis has uprooted an estimated 1.9 million people and placed more than 7 million at risk of hunger and disease.”