UN panel of experts in Western Bahr el Ghazal state

June 15, 2015 (WAU) – A panel of experts from United Nations are in South Sudan’s Western Bahr el Ghazal state to probe crimes committed during the conflict.

Zhagora told reporters that his delegation has been touring the country to get information on the conflict, which started in 2013.

“We are trying to establish an open professional relationship with everybody in south Sudan whom we meet in states,” he said.

“We had been meeting government officials throughout the states and in Juba on issues of diplomacy,” added Zhagora.

The UN secretary general appointed the five-member panel in April in response to a request from the Security Council’s resolution 2206 (2015), adopted on 3 March, 2015.

“The panel is inquiring information on who is obstructing the ongoing peace process on South Sudan in Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa,” said Zhagora.

“We are also inquiring information on who launches attacks on the civilian’s population in South Sudan’s areas of conflict during this conflict,” he added.

The UN team will also seek information on those said to be blocking movement of humanitarian workers in areas most-affected by the war.

“The security council did not impose any sanction by this resolution,” said Zhagora, adding that council would decide what kind of sanction could be applied to some individuals in South Sudan.

The UNSC is considering a way to impose sanctions against both sides of the South Sudan conflict, which has continued despite several commitments by it warring parties to honour ceasefire deals.

The conflict broke out following disagreements within the ruling party (SPLM), killing tens of thousands of people and displacing nearly two million others since December 2013.

South Sudan strongly opposes calls for sanctions, saying such a decision would generate adversarial relationship and further aggravate the country’s ongoing conflict.

(ST)