S. Sudan forces taking sides in ethnic violence – UN mission
A SPLA soldier at a local court in Kuajok, Warrap state during a visit by the International Committee of Red Cross in 2012 (Photo credit: Getty Images)
June 25, 2020 (SSNN) – South Sudan’s organized forces are taking sides in the ongoing intercommunal violence which has been rising with an alarming rate in the country, the UN mission said.
David Shearer, the Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General and head of United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) said in a briefing to the United Nations Security Council on Monday that the world mission has received reports that forces in uniform were joining the intercommunal violence in several parts of the country.
“This violence can no longer be pigeonholed as ‘intercommunal’. Fighters in uniform have been spotted suggesting that organized forces may be joining the conflict which risks unraveling the ceasefire,” he said.
He urged the parties to form inclusive governments in the state so that all ethnic minorities in the country have faith and confidence in those governments for better functioning of the unity government.
“A unity government, by definition, takes decisions collaboratively – whether as a presidency or cabinet. This way of working needs to become a habit, not an exception,” he said.
“A unity government acts in the best interests of all its people regardless of ethnic identity and should act collectively and swiftly to curtail conflict in the states,” shearer stressed.
He further said that “the political impasse, on top of the COVID lockdown, has caused the conflict to escalate with violent incidents multiplying fourfold in two years.”
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