In South Sudan, old feuds test a new state
By Hilde F. Johnson
January 29, 2012 — An escalation of intercommunal violence has tested theresolve of South Sudan, the world’s newest country, and that of the UnitedNations peacekeeping mission in South Sudan, UNMISS.
Extensive patrols by UNMISS over the past three weeks havenot found the “trail of corpses” stretching “miles into the bush,”as alleged in some press reports. Parallels drawn to the genocide in Rwandahave been misleading with regard to the unfolding events and do not applyto the U.N.’s response.
Unfortunately, we have confirmed dozens of civilians killedin Pibor County. No matter the numbers, this is a human tragedy and a heavyemotional burden for all of us who have responsibility to maintain peace.The U.N. Security Council placed the highest priority on protection ofcivilians when it established UNMISS on July 8. And even when informationis fragmented and difficult to piece together, truthful accounts of eventsare important.
In late December, UNMISS air patrols detected a columnof nearly 8,000 armed Lou Nuer youths trekking toward Pibor County, theremote heartland of South Sudan’s Murle ethnic community in Jonglei State.Their stated aim was to take reprisals for Murle attacks on Lou Nuer communitiesin August that left up to 600 dead and hundreds injured. Lou Nuer and Murlehostilities date back decades, arising from competition for scarce resourcesand the decades-long civil war.
To address the immediate threat, the mission warned theSouth Sudan government of the impending attack and moved about half ofits 2,100 combat-ready personnel to the population centers in the state.
The mission also gave early warning to tens of thousandsof local residents. As a result, many were able to move away from townsand villages ahead of the Lou Nuer’s advance. The presence of an UNMISSbattalion alongside units of South Sudan’s army (SPLA), established adefensive perimeter around much of the town of Pibor, largely shieldingits population from the Lou Nuer raiders.
The peacekeepers were vastly outnumbered by the Lou Nuermarauders. Still, the SPLA and the effective positioning of the U.N. peacekeepershelped halt them from overrunning Pibor.
The Security Council commended these actions by UNMISS.Not every civilian was saved, but a much greater loss of life was averted.
Prior to the crisis, the mission had worked closely withthe government in trying to prevent anticipated clashes and protectingcivilians through military deterrence and active political engagement.But all violent attacks could not be prevented.
The long-standing conflict between the Lou Nuer and theMurle is far from over. In a bid to limit the damage from retaliatory Murlestrikes into Lou Nuer strongholds in Jonglei, UNMISS troops have been redeployedto key locations where thousands of civilians are located.
Sadly, the chain of retaliatory violence continues unbroken,the latest target being the Dinka village of Duk Padiet, attacked on Jan.16. The mission and the government are continuing their efforts to securea cessation of hostilities, facilitate durable reconciliation and addressthe root causes of the conflict.
There are two larger lessons to be learned from the ongoingJonglei crisis.
First, there is a need for effective government actionto strengthen security presence in potential flashpoints, get the peaceprocess off the ground, bring to justice those responsible for the attacksand establish programs that address the grievances of the communities.
Second, the United Nations and its members need to actwith greater urgency in deploying the full strength of UNMISS troops toSouth Sudan so that the mission can exercise its mandate to the full insupport of the government’s protection efforts.
The U.N. Security Council authorized a military personnelstrength of 7,000, but only about 5,100 soldiers are in the country atpresent. Less than half of these are available for immediate deploymentto the field.
UNMISS must be provided with resources and capabilitiesthat match its mandate. Members of the Security Council expressed concernabout the shortage of aircraft hampering UNMISS operations as the violencein Jonglei spiraled out of control. This lack of air assets impacts all.
The government of South Sudan has the political will toprotect its citizens, but it is constrained by weak capacity in terms ofrule of law, security infrastructure and assets. UNMISS, on the other hand,has a limited number of troops acting in a country where Jonglei aloneis the size of Bangladesh. The difficulties of protecting civilians inthis situation cannot be underestimated.
Despite these challenges, neither the U.N. mission northe government were standing idly by during the latest crisis. Decisiveaction was taken to protect civilians. It is in this spirit that the missionwill continue to exercise its mandate.
Hilde F. Johnson is the special representativeof the United Nations secretary-general in South Sudan