24 October 2013 - The UN was the first to recognize South Sudanese sovereignty during independence ceremonies in 2011 as the country raised its flag, a Jonglei official said during UN Day celebrations today in the capital Bor.

“During the decades of struggle from marginalization and under-development, the UN was standing beside South Sudanese, and assisted us to achieve our aspirations for freedom, justice and independence,” said Jehan Machak Deng, state Ministry for Health and Environment.

Minister Deng said the UN family had continued to support the new nation through its shift from humanitarian to development aid as well its efforts to tackle violence in the state.

“The UN Agencies in general and UNMISS in particular have been … saving lives by providing timely air transportation and medical assistance during incidents of cattle raiding and communal violence in the state, including during the recent Twic East County incident,” he said.

On 20 October, UN helicopters evacuated 31 seriously wounded civilians to Bor and Juba following an attack on several cattle camps in Twic East County by armed men that left a high number of killed and injured.

The minister also lauded UNMISS for “establishing a strong information unit, the Radio Miraya, that allows citizens across the new nation to share and exchange complex opinions freely, as well as spread messages of peace and stability”.

Held at Bor Girls Primary School, the UN Day event was attended by hundreds of Bor residents, including UN staff, students, religious leaders and senior state officials.

Acting Jonglei Governor Hussein Maar told the gathering that Jonglei residents were happy UNMISS had strongly condemned the Twic East attack. Such a step would strengthen trust and confidence between the mission and community at grass-roots levels.

“We always need UNMISS and others to openly condemn any attack on the civilian population no matter who did it, when and where it happened,” the Acting Governor said. “We believe that condemning such kind of attacks will comfort the victims and discourage perpetrators.”

On 21 October, UNMISS released a press statement that strongly condemned what it described as “the deadly attacks that were perpetrated against civilians on Sunday, 20 October, in Twic East County, Jonglei State”.

The Day’s activities also included a performance of traditional taekwando by the UNMISS Korean Engineering Unit as well as poems and songs by artists from the Jonglei Art and Music Association.

The UN World Program donated five wheel barrows and 10 other hand tools to the host school, which were presented by WFP head in Jonglei Yasuyuki Misawa.