S. Sudanese minister contests additional deployment of UN peacekeeping troops
November 25, 2015 (JUBA) – A South Sudanese minister has contested a planned deployment of more United Nations peace keeping forces to the world’s youngest county, saying the government was yet to receive a comprehensive report and briefing about the necessity to deploy more troops when the government has already signed a peace deal with the armed opposition faction under the leadership of former vice- president, Riek Machar.
“We don’t understand why the UN should deploy more troops when there are already enough forces in the country,” he protested.
Lomuro was reacting to reports that the secretary general of the United Nations, Ban Ki-moon, had requested the UN Security Council to deploy an additional force of more than 1,000 personnel to help protect civilians in the country.
Ban had asked the council to approve the deployment of 500 additional military troops and 600 police officers in the country despite the signing of the peace agreement. The forces will be deployed along with attack helicopters and transport planes for movement of peacekeepers.
Minister Lomuro said the government was still expecting a briefing from the United Nations office in the country about the purpose of the deployment of more forces before deployment can take place.
“We are yet to be briefed. They just sit there in New York and decide as the Security Council forgetting they are talking about issues connected to sovereign state,” he said.
But the armed opposition faction said they welcomed the deployment of more UN peace keepers as a third force in the country to help in keeping peace.
“There is still need for the deployment of the UN peace keeping forces in South Sudan, and even to increase their size. They have important role to play in keeping peace and assisting the country towards stability,” Machar’s spokesman, James Gatdet Dak, told Sudan Tribune on Wednesday.
“We appreciate the role being played by the United Nations Mission in South Sudan for providing shelter and protection to hundreds of thousands of the internally displaced persons in the country,” he said.
Dak also contested the claim by the government that it was a sovereign state which didn’t need the UN peace keepers to protect its citizens, saying people didn’t trust the government which turned against them and massacred them and instead relied on the UN protection in their own country.
South Sudan is already hosting more than 12,000 UN forces, including police, troops and military liaison officers.
Ban also asked the council to consider approving a request for a face lifting medical facility in Juba to provide essential emergency services. Another request was made for a field hospital in the Unity state’s capital, Bentiu, where nearly 100,000 people have taken refuge at the United Nations protected camp in the area.
About 180,000 people predominantly members of the Nuer ethnic group are seeking shelters in UN bases across the country after fleeing their homes when they were targeted as the violent conflict broke out in December 2013 after an internal debate over democratic reforms within the leadership of the governing Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM) turned violent.
United Nations forces may continue to deploy in the country until elections are held by 2018 after the 30 months of transitional period per the peace agreement signed in August between president Salva Kiir and opposition leader, Machar.
UN peace keepers are deployed under chapter 7 to protect the civilians under threat including use of force against perpetrators.
(ST)