Lack of mobility hampers UN mission’s ability to implement its mandate in S. Sudan
July 9, 2013 (WASHINGTON) – The United Nations Mission in South Sudan(UNMISS) has a shortfall in engineering capacity of over 50% and a grave mobility crisis that has severely impacted its ability to protect civilians and strengthen state authority, said a report by the UN chief to the Security Council.
“The Mission’s ability to provide a timely response to protection needs and access vulnerable population centres are hampered by the lack of adequate mobility by air, land and water. The Mission’s aerial reconnaissance capability is under resourced and further constrained by stringent, but essential, aviation safety rules. There is also a gap of three military helicopters”, said the report which dated of 20 June of this year.
The document said a review of the mission’s military capability conducted last April observed that the mission does not have the needed hardware for effective response to situations that demand its attention.
“The lack of a sufficient number of military helicopters and restrictions imposed on the commercially contracted civilian helicopters owing to insecurity. The deployment of key military enabling units has been delayed, and UNMISS is currently facing a de facto shortfall in engineering capacity of over 50 per cent”, the review added.
As a result of the many challenges that UNMISS faces, the review says the mission is faced with security and political challenges most notable in Jonglei state.
“The Mission has been in constant crisis management mode in Jonglei State, and its air and ground movements have been hampered by attacks on its personnel and assets.”
The largest South Sudan state of Jonglei is destabilised since the independence by inter-communal violence and clashes with a rebel group led by David Yau Yau. Last May some 100,000 people mainly from his tribe Murle fled the region as about gross violations of human rights from the troubled state.
The report further underlined a “grave mobility crisis” hindering the Mission’s priority tasks and impacting negatively its ability to protect UN personnel and assets in South Sudan.
“The Mission’s aerial reconnaissance capability is under resourced”, say the review before to add that there is also a gap of three military helicopters.
“The only dedicated heavy lift capacity available to the Mission to move forces and vehicles is an Mi-26 helicopter, which is shared with UNISFA”, the report says.
UNMISS chief Hilde Johnson on Monday told the U.N. Security Council that the shot down of a UN civilian helicopter last December and the lack of military helicopters contributed to slow the mission’s ability.
Johnson urged the Security Council to take the needed measures to remedy this difficult situation adding that the military capability review proposed options outlined by the Secretary-General in his report include aerial surveillance, deterrence, and supplementary heavy lift and riverine capabilities.
(ST)