U.N accuses Ukraine of supplying South Sudan with arms
May 14, 2017 (JUBA) – A United Nations panel of experts has accused Ukraine of supplying the young nation with weapons.
Allegations in the report, if confirmed, would largely put blame on Ukraine for perpetuating the conflict in the East African country, now in its fourth year.
Border areas between South Sudan, Sudan and Uganda were key entry points for arms to Juba, the U.N panel of experts report stated.
Media reports say the plane’s manifest indicated that it contained two L-39 jets and engines provided by Musket OU, a company based in Tallinn, and that the flight was operated by the Ukranian defense ministry.
“The Ukrainian Government confirmed that the two jets were listed as being operated by the Ugandan military and that the end user certificates indicated they were to be used only for pilot training,” partly reads a section of the U.N reported quoted in media outlets.
The experts, in the report, further said they were investigating if the planes were taken to war-torn South Sudan following reports that an aircraft with obscure markings was parked at Juba airport.
Also being investigated, the U.N panel of experts said in the report, is a Hungarian fighter jet pilot, Tibor Czingali, contracted by the Ugandan Air Force, but believed to be flying a South Sudan aircraft.
According to the U.N panel of experts, recently received documents from a confidential source detailed a contract, signed in June 2014 by two National Security Service officers for a company based in the Seychelles to provide weapons to the South Sudanese Internal Security Bureau, headed by Akol Koor.
A confidential U.N report released in March slammed the government of South Sudan for spending more than half its budget on weapons and security as 100,000 people are dying of starvation.
The report also called for an arms embargo on South Sudan, a measure supported by United States, but rejected by the U.N Security Council during a vote in December, 2016.
“Weapons continue to flow into South Sudan from diverse sources, often with the coordination of neighboring countries,” said the report by a panel of experts.
The experts also found a “preponderance of evidence (that) shows continued procurement of weapons by the leadership in Juba” for the army, the security services, militias and other “associated forces.”
(ST)