Nigeria to head UN probe team in South Sudan

April 26, 2016 (JUBA) – The United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon on Tuesday announced the appointment of Abiodun Oluremi Bashua of Nigeria to lead the special investigation into the attack against the UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS), which is protecting civilians in the Upper Nile state capital, Malakal.

According to a UN statement, the special investigation will undertake detailed examination of the circumstances which led to the incident from 17-18 February in which at least 25 civilians died and an additional were 144 injured in the attack.

It added that the investigation team would complement the UN Headquarters Board of Inquiry announced on March 11, also conducting an in-depth investigation into the overall response of the UN peacekeepers in the attack.

Bashua recently concluded his assignment as Deputy Joint Special Representative of the African Union-United Nations Hybrid Operation in Darfur, during which he also served as acting Joint Special Representative in 2014 and 2015.

With previous experiences at senior levels in Côte d’Ivoire, Liberia, Sierra Leone and Sudan, the Nigerian has reportedly also served as Secretary to the Conference of Parties of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change.

Tens of thousands of people have died and nearly two million displaced in South Sudan’s recent outbreak of violence since it seceded from North Sudan in July 2011.

(ST)