South Sudan risks more ethnic violence, UN envoy tells Security Council ArticleComments (7). Email PrintSave --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
By Julius N. Uma March 15, 2012 (JUBA) — The UN Secretary-General’s Special Representative for South Sudan on Thursday expressed fears of more ethnic violence in South Sudan’s Jonglei state, after it emerged that tribal militias could have seem to have acquired modern weapons, communications equipment and appear well organized. This notable trend, Hilde F. Johnson said, had resulted in to worse ethnic violence reported in recent months within the region. “We have seen armed groups with uniforms, in formation, with extremely advanced weaponry and very well organized,” Johnson told a media briefing at the UN headquarters in New York. “So it is not cattle raiding any more, these are historical traditions that have [been] permeated with new and modern technology,” added. In recent months, Jonglei, South Sudan’s most populous state has been wracked by bloody violence between the Lou Nuer and Murle; two communities with a history of cattle rustling between them. However, Johnson, who had earlier held a close-door meeting with members of the Security Council, said these are “different and difficult conflicts to resolve,” saying it requires a coherent peace process. The SRSG also briefed the Security Council on the ongoing disarmament process in Jonglei, officially launched on Monday by South Sudan President, Salva Kiir. The UN has already expressed concern on the process, agitating for a peaceful and non-violent exercise that respects the rights of the population. Meanwhile, Ban Ki-moon, the UN Secretary-General has commended the governments of Sudan and South Sudan for the progress made in post-independence talks, after both parties struck an agreement on citizenship status and border demarcation. “Coming to an agreement on the status of nationals of each state and the demarcation of the common boundary is an important step forward and an encouraging manifestation of both parties’ spirit of cooperation and partnership,” a statement from the Secretary General’s spokesperson partly reads. Ki-moon also commended the Thabo Mbeki-led African Union’s High-Level Implementation Panel over what he described as its tireless efforts to conclude the negotiations between the two States. The Secretary General has further welcomed the planned summit between the President of Sudan, Omar al-Bashir, and his South Sudan counterpart, Salva Kiir, to sign the agreements, urging the duo to urgently resolve all other outstanding matters for a peaceful and prosperous future. (ST) -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "South Sudan Info - The Kob" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected]. For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/SouthSudanKob?hl=en.
