Pakistan has called for addressing the “underlying cause” of the sharp deterioration in South Sudan’s political and security situation that threatens to undermine the peace gains achieved so far amid fears of renewed conflict, stressing the need for all parties to cease hostilities. “Unfortunately, in less than two months, the discourse has shifted – the situation has worsened,” Ambassador Usman Jadoon, deputy permanent representative of Pakistan to the United Nations, told the UN Security Council at a briefing on the worsening situation in South Sudan. “We share the concerns about possible further deterioration, and hence the need to de-escalate and address the underlying cause of this downward slide,” he added.