UN alarmed by violence in S Sudan
The UN Security Council expressed alarm at the ongoing violence in South Sudan.
|||Kampala - The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) expressed alarm on Thursday at the ongoing violence in South Sudan despite noting that the ceasefire between the warring factions had largely held.
Ismael Abraão Gaspar Martins of Angola, UNSC president for March, read out a formal statement regarding the parties’ failure to fully implement the August 2015 Agreement on ending the conflict.
The conflict erupted between President Salva Kiir and his former Vice-President Riek Machar over two years ago, resulting in the killing of thousands and the displacement of nearly 2.5 million people.
The UNSC outlined specific steps the parties needed to take towards full implementation of a seven-month-old peace deal, adding that progress would be reviewed at the end of the month.
The steps include:
1. The Government of South Sudan and the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement in Opposition (SPLM-IO) fully and immediately adhere to the permanent ceasefire in accordance with their obligations under the Agreement;
2. The Government, the SPLM-IO and all other relevant actors extend their full cooperation to complete implementation of the of Juba security arrangements as decided by the Joint Monitoring and Evaluation Commission (JMEC) Chair and agreed by the parties on 24 February, 2016;
3. The President, the First Vice-President, and Vice-President, as set out in the Agreement, take up their positions in the Transitional Government of National Unity (TGNU) in Juba;
4. The parties to the agreement abide by and take no action inconsistent with the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) 30-31 January 2016 communiqué, which was subsequently endorsed by the parties and JMEC, on the issue of the Presidential Decree on the creation of 28 new states; and
5. The Government of South Sudan and the SPLM-IO protect civilians and civilian facilities, including schools and hospitals, allow people to move freely, and allow in accordance with relevant provisions of international law and UN guiding principles of humanitarian assistance the full, safe, and unhindered humanitarian access to help ensure timely delivery of humanitarian assistance, to all those in need.
Further, the Council expressed its alarm over credible reports of armed men in uniforms of the Sudan People’s Liberation Army (SPLA) entering the UN Mission (UNMISS) protection-of-civilians site and firing on civilians.
Describing such attacks as “unacceptable,” the Council called on the government to investigate and prosecute those responsible, and commended the UN for quickly announcing the establishment of a High-Level Board of Inquiry.
The Council called attention to the 11 March report of the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) Assessment Mission and the 4 December 2015 UNMISS/OHCHR report ‘The State of Human Rights in the Protracted Conflict in South Sudan’, condemning reported human rights violations and abuses, as well as violations of international humanitarian law.
It also underscored its grave concern over the deteriorating economic and humanitarian situation, noting that an estimated 2.8 million people were severely food insecure amid continuing restrictions on humanitarian access.
Meanwhile on Thursday Sudan threatened to close its borders with South Sudan and deport over 300 000 South Sudanese students after accusing the south of supporting rebels fighting the government of President Omar Al-Bashir.
Ibrahim Mohamud Hamid, a senior assistant to Bashir, issued the warnings.
South Sudan’s Foreign Minister Barnaba Marial Benjamin denied his government was supporting rebels of the Sudan People’s Liberation Army, or SPLA North, who are fighting the Sudanese government in Southern Kordofan and Blue Nile states, reported the Voice of America (VOA).
“President Kiir and the government are fully committed to see that there is peace in Sudan and peace in South Sudan,” he said. “And the president is very clear that we will not support any armed insurgency against the Republic of Sudan.”
Sudan and South Sudan signed a cooperation agreement four years ago to stop supporting rebels in each other’s territory, to promote trade and to create two viable states.
But the border was closed until earlier this year, when Sudanese President Bashir ordered it open to help the South cope with its ongoing economic crisis, caused by the country’s civil war, reported VOA.
African News Agency