27 September 2014 - South Sudanese President Salva Kiir expressed concern in New York today that the new UNMISS mandate focused on protecting civilians rather than other activities, including capacity building.

Speaking to the UN General Assembly, Mr. Kiir said such changes had “serious implications in service delivery to the people of South Sudan”.

In particular, the president said, the new mandate did not allow UNMISS to support national, state and local partners for assistance with capacity building, peace-building, disarmament, demobilization and reintegration, security sector reforms, recovery and development.

“Notwithstanding the fact (such) activities…are of paramount importance to South Sudan, we strongly believe the main objective of UNMISS was to support peace and reconciliation in the first place,’ Mr. Kiir said, requesting the UN Security Council to reconsider the mandate when it came up for renewal in November.

He also urged UNMISS to shift from “protection-by-presence” to “protection-by-action” and to encourage those in UNMISS camps to return to their homes. “UNMISS needs to protect the civilians in their neighbourhoods and not in camps in a huge country like ours, which is bigger than the size of France.”

President Kiir blamed former Vice-President Riek Machar, who wished to seize power by force, for the outbreak of violence in the country in December 2013.

“He was too impatient in his thirst for power and did not want to wait for the general elections, which were scheduled to take place in 2015,’ he said. “The failed coup and the rebellion that followed resulted in the loss of too many innocent lives, destruction of properties, and damage of community relationships.”

But the coup was foiled, and the government continuing to defend the country and people against the ensuing rebellion, Mr. Kiir said.

He was committed to sitting down with the rebels to hammer out a way forward, which would allow South Sudan to “embark on the difficult mission of socio-economic development, which our people urgently need”, the president said.

“I urge the international community to exert efforts on the rebels to sign the protocol agreement,” he said.

As for the humanitarian crisis and human rights abuses that had occurred in the wake of the “failed coup and the rebellion”, Mr. Kiir said his government had ordered an investigation into abuses and had agreed to cooperate with the AU Commission of Inquiry.

"We are determined to hold those who will be found responsible accountable, as we do not condone impunity under any circumstances,” he said.

Stating that the conflict in South Sudan “is purely a struggle for power – not an ethnic conflict as reported,” Mr. Kiir said citizens displaced by conflict, especially in the three states of Jonglei, Unity and Upper Nile, were innocent victims that urgently needed humanitarian assistance.