Press. voanews.com
United Nations
Security Council members have unanimously called on South Sudan's leaders to
prioritize the needs of the South Sudanese people, but disagree over the main
causes of the famine in parts of the country. At a Thursday briefing in New
York, United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned Security Council
members that the humanitarian crisis "continues to deepen." The U.N.
chief told the council 100,000 South Sudanese are affected by famine, another
one million are on the verge of famine, and more than 5 million may be severely
food insecure by this summer.
"Yet
despite the alarm sounded by the United Nations and the international community
over this crisis, the government has yet to express any meaningful concern or
take any tangible steps to address the plight of its people," Guterres
said. Guterres added
that what he hears most often are denials and a refusal by South Sudan's
leaders to fulfill responsibilities to end the crisis, or even acknowledge what
is happening on the ground.
South Sudan's
deputy permanent representative to the U.N., Ambassador Joseph Moum Majak Ngor
Malok, assured the council that his government would cooperate with the U.N. to
resolve the issues affecting his country. He also claimed that changing weather
patterns are largely to blame for South Sudan's food insecurity, and
categorically denied his government has intentionally starved certain people,
leading to the famine in parts of former Unity State.
"The
government takes issue with the accusation that it is responsible for [the
famine]. It is also important to note that other parts of the country affected
by drought as a result of climatic changes," said Moum. Russian Deputy
U.N. Ambassador Petr Illichev made similar remarks, telling the council the
famine was "linked not just to problems with security, but also with
inclement weather conditions."
The U.S. Deputy
Permanent Representative to the U.N., Michele Sison, shot down that assertion,
insisting the famine is not a result of drought. "It is the result of
leaders more interested in political power and personal gain than in stopping
violence and allowing humanitarian access," Sison said.
The South
Sudanese government's "continued and uncontainable impediments to
humanitarians trying to reach famine-stricken populations may amount to
deliberate starvation tactics," Sison said. The U.S. diplomat reminded
council members that the option for an arms embargo is still on the table. "Our
unanimously adopted sanctions resolution gives us the ability to designate
individuals whose actions or policies threaten peace in South Sudan," said
Sison.
British Foreign
Secretary Boris Johnson told council members that just last month, the brutal
cycle of raiding, retaliation, and counter-retaliation drove an estimated
80,000 people to flee their villages. He added that the proposal for a hybrid
court for South Sudan, as agreed to in the 2015 peace agreement, must be
established so that those responsible for atrocities and other crimes face
justice.
"And we
should acknowledge that a terrible failure of political leadership lies behind
the bloodshed," Johnson said. Women and children are the majority of South
Sudanese displaced by the continued fighting in the country. Betty Sunday,
coordinator of the Women's Monthly Forum on Peace and Political Process on
South Sudan, told the council crimes continue to be committed against South
Sudanese women.
"If the
peace agreement was implemented, women could go about their lives without fear,
their children could go to school, and they could collect food and tend to
their gardens," said Sunday.
Call for
inclusive government
Guterres said
the government continues to impede access to humanitarians delivering
lifesaving assistance. He said an inclusive political process is a crucial
aspect to moving the country forward. As for the national dialogue President
Salva Kiir announced late last year, the U.N. boss said "credible dialogue
cannot take place at the point of a gun."
Guterres told
the council that when civil society and opposition members "cannot meet or
speak freely, when a significant proportion of the population cannot
participate in the discussions, and when numerous communities are displaced or
facing starvation, dialogue efforts are unlikely to succeed."
The chairman of
the Joint Monitoring and Evaluation Commission (JMEC) also briefed the council
Thursday. Festus Mogae said there is moderate progress in the implementation of
the 2015 peace deal, but he said the parties to the agreement are not
respecting the cease-fire deal.
"The
situation is slipping out of control. It is time now for the international
community to condemn in the strongest possible terms the violence, the killing,
the human rights abuses and the destruction of homes. We must now stand
together and do something about it," Mogae said.
The former
president of Botswana said his office has received reports of fighting between
government forces, rebels and other armed groups in various parts of South
Sudan. Aid agencies operating in South Sudan have reported cases of serious
attacks by government forces on civilians in Leer, Mayendit and Wau Shilluk
counties in the former Upper Nile State.
Mogae said
government forces and rebels are actively fighting in the Unity and Upper Nile
areas of South Sudan. "The cease-fire and transitional security
arrangement monitoring mechanism now reports deliberate planned conflict
between the main parties to the agreement, the SPLA IG and the SPLA-IO (In
Opposition) loyal to Dr. Riek Machar, as well as other emerging groups engaged
in the destruction of lives and communities, in total violation of the
cease-fire agreement," Mogae said.
The JMEC chief
said the recently declared famine is a direct result of insecurity, armed
violence and political exclusion from the peace process. He said peace can come
to South Sudan if South Sudanese see their interests are being addressed by
their leaders.
Disaster is near
Mogae urged the
international community to move swiftly to avoid a complete disaster in South
Sudan. "We must urgently
look again at all possible practical measures that we can take to alleviate the
desperate suffering that millions of people are facing every day. All parties
to the agreement are failing in their basic duty to protect the South Sudanese
people," Mogae said.
Mogae also said
he is still waiting to hear from the African Union on progress in establishing
a Hybrid Court for South Sudan. He said collective efforts are needed to
urgently address the country's worsening situation.
"And in the
face of the ever-worsening situation, I believe that only a resolute and
unified approach by IGAD, the African Union, United Nations and the
international community as a whole can restore hope to the people of South
Sudan," Mogae said.