In South Sudan, old feuds test a new state
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By Hilde F. Johnson
January 29, 2012 — An escalation of intercommunal violence has tested
theresolve of South Sudan, the world’s newest country, and that of the
UnitedNations peacekeeping mission in South Sudan, UNMISS.
Extensive patrols by UNMISS over the past three weeks havenot found
the “trail of corpses” stretching “miles into the bush,”as alleged in
some press reports. Parallels drawn to the genocide in Rwandahave been
misleading with regard to the unfolding events and do not applyto the
U.N.’s response.
Unfortunately, we have confirmed dozens of civilians killedin Pibor
County. No matter the numbers, this is a human tragedy and a
heavyemotional burden for all of us who have responsibility to
maintain peace.The U.N. Security Council placed the highest priority
on protection ofcivilians when it established UNMISS on July 8. And
even when informationis fragmented and difficult to piece together,
truthful accounts of eventsare important.
In late December, UNMISS air patrols detected a columnof nearly 8,000
armed Lou Nuer youths trekking toward Pibor County, theremote
heartland of South Sudan’s Murle ethnic community in Jonglei
State.Their stated aim was to take reprisals for Murle attacks on Lou
Nuer communitiesin August that left up to 600 dead and hundreds
injured. Lou Nuer and Murlehostilities date back decades, arising from
competition for scarce resourcesand the decades-long civil war.
To address the immediate threat, the mission warned theSouth Sudan
government of the impending attack and moved about half ofits 2,100
combat-ready personnel to the population centers in the state.
The mission also gave early warning to tens of thousandsof local
residents. As a result, many were able to move away from townsand
villages ahead of the Lou Nuer’s advance. The presence of an
UNMISSbattalion alongside units of South Sudan’s army (SPLA),
established adefensive perimeter around much of the town of Pibor,
largely shieldingits population from the Lou Nuer raiders.
The peacekeepers were vastly outnumbered by the Lou Nuermarauders.
Still, the SPLA and the effective positioning of the U.N.
peacekeepershelped halt them from overrunning Pibor.
The Security Council commended these actions by UNMISS.Not every
civilian was saved, but a much greater loss of life was averted.
Prior to the crisis, the mission had worked closely withthe government
in trying to prevent anticipated clashes and protectingcivilians
through military deterrence and active political engagement.But all
violent attacks could not be prevented.
The long-standing conflict between the Lou Nuer and theMurle is far
from over. In a bid to limit the damage from retaliatory Murlestrikes
into Lou Nuer strongholds in Jonglei, UNMISS troops have been
redeployedto key locations where thousands of civilians are located.
Sadly, the chain of retaliatory violence continues unbroken,the latest
target being the Dinka village of Duk Padiet, attacked on Jan.16. The
mission and the government are continuing their efforts to securea
cessation of hostilities, facilitate durable reconciliation and
addressthe root causes of the conflict.
There are two larger lessons to be learned from the ongoingJonglei crisis.
First, there is a need for effective government actionto strengthen
security presence in potential flashpoints, get the peaceprocess off
the ground, bring to justice those responsible for the attacksand
establish programs that address the grievances of the communities.
Second, the United Nations and its members need to actwith greater
urgency in deploying the full strength of UNMISS troops toSouth Sudan
so that the mission can exercise its mandate to the full insupport of
the government’s protection efforts.
The U.N. Security Council authorized a military personnelstrength of
7,000, but only about 5,100 soldiers are in the country atpresent.
Less than half of these are available for immediate deploymentto the
field.
UNMISS must be provided with resources and capabilitiesthat match its
mandate. Members of the Security Council expressed concernabout the
shortage of aircraft hampering UNMISS operations as the violencein
Jonglei spiraled out of control. This lack of air assets impacts all.
The government of South Sudan has the political will toprotect its
citizens, but it is constrained by weak capacity in terms ofrule of
law, security infrastructure and assets. UNMISS, on the other hand,has
a limited number of troops acting in a country where Jonglei aloneis
the size of Bangladesh. The difficulties of protecting civilians
inthis situation cannot be underestimated.
Despite these challenges, neither the U.N. mission northe government
were standing idly by during the latest crisis. Decisiveaction was
taken to protect civilians. It is in this spirit that the missionwill
continue to exercise its mandate.
Hilde F. Johnson is the special representativeof the United Nations
secretary-general in South Sudan
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