Why government and UNMISS fellout Posted by admin <http://southsudantoday.net/default/author/admin/> On February 02, 2014 0 Comment<http://southsudantoday.net/default/2014/02/02/why-government-and-unmiss-fellout/#comments> By Baker Lule
Juba Last week President Salva Kiir went public and accused the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) for allegedly refusing to return ammunitions uniforms, and cars that the defecting SPLA soldiers handed to them before they were allowed entry into their compounds. The president, who was speaking angrily to the media, said he had repeatedly asked UNMISS for his government properties but his pleas fell on death ears. He wondered how they actually obtained them. "These things belong to the government; they must be returned to the respective ministries," Kiir said. The following day the Minister of Information and Broadcasting, Michael Makuei Lueth, while speaking to reporters at the parliament, asked for a written apology from UNMISS for allegedly denying him access to the UNMISS compound in Bor Town where he had gone to pay a courtesy call to internally displaced people still holed up in the UNMISS compound. The minister said UNMISS disallowed him to enter their compound with his personal escorts which he accepted but refused to toe the line of not entering UNMISS with reporters with cameras. "I'm the national Minister for Information; you cannot refuse me to enter with a camera. This is unacceptable," Makuei said. However, a communication from the UN Secretary General's office criticized what they called forced entry into its premises. "The Secretary-General is alarmed at the attempt by senior members of the Government of South Sudan and South Sudan army to force entry into the protection of civilians site at the compound of the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) in Bor," the statement reads in part. "The Secretary-General is particularly disturbed that United Nations staff were threatened by South Sudan military when they refused to allow armed soldiers to accompany civilians to visit the UNMISS protection site.... "The Secretary-General condemns the threats made against UN personnel and demands that all parties to the conflict respect the sanctity of UNMISS protection sites... "This incident is just one of a growing number of violations of the Status of Forces Agreement, making it increasingly difficult for UNMISS to implement its mandate and dangerous for United Nations staff working in South Sudan." A day later a group of SPLM and other political parties, including ANC, UDF, SANU, Popular Congress Party, Sudan African Party, NCP, Sudan Labour Party, MUDF, among others, converged at the parliamentary building where they poured salvo at UNMISS and its head Hilde Johnson. In a joint statement, the political parties said that they are dismayed by the way UNMISS was hobnobbing with rebel leader Dr. Riek Machar and the support it was giving him. " The political parties are dismayed by Hilde Johnson's incompatible rules that have embarrassed UNMISS dedicated staff by approving the transportation of renegade rebel leader Riek Machar on UNMISS helicopter from Bor to Gadyang, from Akobo to Bentiu to incite civilians to join his group," reads a statement in part. "We also call for a revisit of the incompatible status of unprofessional role played by Hilde Johnson in South Sudan that contradicted her status as a Special Representative of the Secretary General of the UN. We the political parties call for a special apology from UNMISS for the shameful act of harassing Minister Makuei in Bor that contradicted UNMISS role yet they were protecting rebels in the same compound in Bor," the statement adds. Some of the people who attended the demonstration had placards on which were written: "Hilde Johnson, you are fired"; What is the so-called UNMISS that doesn't respect our constitution?; "UNMISS and other NGOS in South Sudan must leave"; "Go away, Hilde Johnson", among others. Just on the following day the presidential spokesperson, Ateny Wek Ateny, added his voice to already loud issue from government and said UNMISS was sheltering rebels in their compounds in Juba. He added that they (government) had information to the effect that some of the IDPs in the Juba UNMISS compound were actually coordinating with Machar. However, UNMISS spokesperson Ariane dismissed the allegations, calling them baseless. She maintained that UNMISS is a neutral organization that can never support any group against the other. He said that UNMISS is committed to fulfilling its mandate of protecting civilians. Independent observers are, however, divided on the issue. Sabrino Majok Majok, a regular writer, says UNMISS has exceeded its mandate. In an opinion piece Majok contends: "Why did UNMISS allow rebels to enter into their compound while denying the same privilege to a national Minister of Information? Where are rebels' weapons now? Did prevention of the Information Minister from entering UNMISS compound amount to lack of recognition of the Government of South Sudan by UNMISS?" "UNMISS must provide convincing answers to Government and people of South Sudan for their inappropriate actions in South Sudan in general, and Bor UNMISS compound in particular," Majok argues. But while reacting to this opinion one Jacob Akol refuses to believe that UNMISS is the problem. "We should not be diverted from focusing on the real crisis which we ourselves caused and continue to fuel it. Making the UN (UNMISS) the culprit in a conflict whose roots we are all aware does beat imagination," writes Akol. "As we speak, tens of thousands of our people have sought safety within UNMISS compounds in Juba, Bor, Malakal, Bentiu and probably other centers. Where would they be without these islands of safety created by the presence of UNMISS? Our intellectuals should turn their full attention to finding ways of reconciling our people. To do this we need all the help we can get, not least from UNMISS and other UN humanitarian agencies. We have made enough enemy of ourselves. We should not look for more enemies." According to the Office of the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs( OCHA), over half a million people have fled their homes, including 494,000 people displaced inside South Sudan and 86,100 in neighboring countries. Some 67,400 people are sheltered in UN bases. In Juba, up to 80 per cent of displaced people in the UN bases are women and children. Aid agencies have so far assisted over 212,000 people, with new response activities set to begin in Jonglei and Eastern Equatoria states. Though over half of the 200,000 children to be vaccinated against measles have been reached since 15 December, the disease remains a major health risk... -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "South Sudan Info - The Kob" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. Visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/SouthSudanKob. To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/SouthSudanKob/CAJb14or5Psnf%3DZ-4E-X3FhesMs_xADorX79rEmO-%3DJL5axv9Qg%40mail.gmail.com. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/groups/opt_out.
