UN official urges IGAD to lift restrictions imposed on Machar
November 20, 2019 (ADDIS ABABA) – The head of the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS), David Shearer has urged the regional bloc (IGAD) to uplift all restrictions imposed on South Sudan’s opposition leader, Riek Machar.
He made the call while addressing members of the African Union Peace and Security Council (AUPSC) Mon the situation in South Sudan in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia last week.
“This ongoing obstacle is surely not difficult to fix by IGAD and the government. IGAD should lift all restrictions. And the South Sudan Government should issue Dr. Machar with a passport – in the spirit of building trust and confidence,” said Shearer.
The UN official’s remarks came a week after South Sudan President Salva Kiir and Machar agreed to extend by 100 days the pre-transitional period expiring on November 12.
The delay in forming a national unity government as agreed in May this year came after Machar’s group raised concerns that the security arrangement are incomplete.
However, according to Shearer, the citizens of South Sudan have high expectations that peace will finally be realized.
“Over the past year, their political leaders have met some, but certainly not all, of those expectations,” he stated.
The top UN diplomat also highlighted the plight of people in South Sudan, saying 7.2 million people need humanitarian aid.
“About 1.4 million people remain displaced within the country while another 2.2 million are living as refugees,” he stressed.
According to UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA), more than 908,000 people have been affected by heavy rainfall and subsequent flooding, of whom 620,000 people need immediate humanitarian aid.
Last month, President Salva Kiir declared a state of emergency in Greater Bahr al-Ghazal, Upper Nile and Equatoria regions, and it made urgent appeals for humanitarian intervention.
$61 million is needed to save lives and respond to floods in South Sudan, the UN said last week.
“Humanitarian agencies are making heroic efforts to respond. But the consequences of damaged crops will further limit food supplies for many families,” stressed Shearer.
“While the situation remains bleak for many South Sudanese, the last year of peace has kick-started a transformative process that is improving lives,” he added.
South Sudan descended into civil war in mid-December 2013 when President Kiir accused his former deputy Machar of plotting a coup, allegations the latter dismissed.
In September last year, the country’s rival factions signed a revitalized peace deal to end the civil war that killed tens of thousands of people and displaced millions.
(ST)