UN peacekeeping mandate in Sudan comes under US scrutiny
January 26, 2010 (WASHINGTON) – Ambassador Susan Rice, the United States’ representative at the UN Headquarters in New York, said that the Security Council today received assurances from a top UN official that the United Nations Mission in Sudan (UNMIS) will be oriented toward civilian protection in South Sudan.
This morning the UN Undersecretary General for Peacekeeping Operations Alain Le Roy briefed the Security Council on the peacekeeping mission in Sudan, which is charged with monitoring the country’s north-south ceasefire. The peacekeepers are also authorized, under chapter VII of the UN charter, “to take the necessary action, in the areas of deployment of its forces and as it deems within its capabilities… to protect civilians under imminent threat of physical violence.”
“We are very, very concerned that UNMIS take on board and fully implement the portion of its mandate – the critical portion of its mandate – that relates to the protection of civilians,” said Amb. Rice to reporters at the UN building in New York today.
She continued, “We made that point forcefully in the consultations and we were very gratified to hear from Under Secretary-General Le Roy that that is indeed the intention of the United Nations.” But the diplomat did not enumerate what new steps the United Nations can and should take in this regard.
Amb. Rice had received a letter last week from thirteen US senators asking her to “help frame discussions at the United Nations Security Council in the coming weeks and months to ensure the mission (UNMIS) has a forward-looking approach to civilian protection.” The lawmakers, including Senators Russ Feingold, Sam Brownback, and John Kerry, on January 21 expressed “grave concern” about tribal and interethnic violence in Southern Sudan.
Senators Susan Collins, Robert Menendez, Bob Corker, Benjamin Cardin, Byron Dorgan, Barbara Boxer, Kirsten Gillibrand, Johnny Isakson, Mark Begich, and Tim Johnson also signed the letter. They urged the ambassador to take some new steps at the Security Council. Referring to rumoured discussion of adjusting UNMIS’s protection mandate when it is renewed by the Security Council this April, the senators stated that “Such an adjustment would certainly be welcome, but we are concerned that waiting that long will only allow the security situation in southern Sudan to deteriorate further.”
As to the military operations of UNMIS, the senators tentatively endorsed new preventive deployments, more long-range patrols and “other creative field presence.” Without specifically mentioning the case of Jonglei state — where UNMIS forces temporarily deployed in remote outposts in May 2009 following a period of shocking violence — the senators referred to the “positive role” of such steps.
Last month a group of 23 senators had sent to Amb. Susan Rice another letter about Sudan, requesting that she ensure that the Security Council considers imposing additional reporting obligations on Sudan related to violations of the Darfur arms embargo, and provides assistance to the Dakar Contact Group to monitor the Sudanese-Chadian border.
Despite the two senatorial pronouncements on such issues, Amb. Rice today did not disclose any progress made at the Security Council to advance these recommendations.
The ambassador however also stressed that she is concerned about weapons flowing into South Sudan, from all parts including the North. “We would like a full accounting,” Rice said, noting the semi-autonomous region’s “porous borders” which make such arms flows hard to control and track.
“We heard today from the U.N. that it is not just small arms but some heavier munitions that seem to be flowing in,” she said. “We weren’t given specifics on that. But we have seen, in the violence that is taking place in the South, a higher degree of sophistication and lethality of the weapons employed, and that’s a source of concern.”
Earlier this month, a group of aid agencies issued a joint report that urged the UN Security Council to consider whether UNMIS needs more resources, pointing out that civilians in South Sudan are at risk, particularly in rural areas. The report was particularly critical of UNMIS for being “slow to grapple with its mandated protection responsibilities and to use its resources to respond to a changing context.”
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johnmaker
UN peacekeeping mandate in Sudan comes under US scrutiny
Amb.Rice need to ad more troops, or if she would,she need to replace that undersecretariat with some one that will work with the Washinton not sudan govt.The election in sudan will be the worses times ever been.Becuase the khartoum will use nuer tribe to distroyed election.
Dinka Boy
UN peacekeeping mandate in Sudan comes under US scrutiny
I have been told that NCP armed Riek Gai militias to create chaos in the South and that is why he want to contest for presidency of South. He was Bashier advisor and the only thinks that he doe There is areliable source for this. SPLM must wake up because Nuer are Bashier wives. No matter nCP gave them GM3s we will still captured them like the way we did before both of them Arab and Nuer Nyagatins.
truth to be told in southsudan
UN peacekeeping mandate in Sudan comes under US scrutiny
Hello all,
This is important steps that US. Amb. Rice took regarding situation is southsudan. It is really a grave concerns. It is also very Shameful to all African nations that are too relunctant to do anything concerning southsudan. I feel shame that black people will only listen to what the white man say or do. Civilians protection should have been the #1 reasons the GOSS should have focussed more than five years now. It is now regretful that, we southerners has lost a great numbers of lives. I think we africans are relying too much on white man power and that is very wrong. Our government should do more now.
UNMIS is nothing but political forces and they are not going to provides the protection that the civilians deserves to preserves lives.
Aduol Liet
UN peacekeeping mandate in Sudan comes under US scrutiny
U.S. Amb, Rice.
First of all, I would like to thank you and all the U.S. Congress in the White House. My native Southern Sudanese people have been suffering in civil war and they are still suffering after the signing peace agreement. To be honestly about this continuing killing in the South part, these Militias are armies from the North part same Bashir government that, have been arming Militiamen in the Western Darfuri Regions. This indictment does not care the lives of its Sudanese citizens and this is why he has been continuous doing such a disaster indirect way to Southern Sudanese people as well as many others Regions in the Sudan are subject from the Sudan government led by indictment killer.
The tactics, they use it become well understood that, money in Sudan are used as a tool in the Sudan government in case for government to get ride of a certain people and this is why there are more and more Militias made involvement in Southern Sudan part. I am totally disagree the number which have been mentioned of 250,000 dies after the signing peace agreement, because this inerethnics clashes did not stopped since the peace agreement was signed in five years ago. Look this Omar al Bashir is the big Fish and indeed he is the big caused of this conflicting that, has no end of it among civilians population in Southern Sudan and he is also responsible to many lives being losts in Sudan and yes, he must held accoutable.
Omar al Bashir he need a good lesson so that, other leader in Africa will not repeated such a killing innocently people. I was very disappointed and even more surprising when I hear the nomination of the indictment Omar al Bashir as a presidency candidate for the short coming general election on April. I felt sorry to see the ciminal wanted is leading good people who have done nothing. I felt a shame when I saw Omar al Bashir did not respect the nation of Sudan perhaps, the ICC Judges. Bashir must not be allow to be nominate in the first place, because he is a guilty man and he must accepted to see jail or kill otherwise, the United Nation will be a shame in this world. We need United Nation and others Superpowers to force this man without making any polite statement to him and its government.
okucu pa lotinokwan
UN peacekeeping mandate in Sudan comes under US scrutiny
The UN peacekeeping mandate is not only the solution,but the country itself is another problem if you can see the present countries carrying peacekeeping mission in Sudan the majority were pro NCP party,they are the one upto this moment they are still aiding the NCP party with Amonition,Tanks,big guns few to mention china.Russia,and some part of Arab Nations.Concerning the tribal conflict in the south Sudan, NCP party are the organizers to aid some southerners armies who are in need of money to kill their own brothers,few to mention like the Devils Riek Gai and Lam Akol.