UN Security Council meeting with the Cabinet; Ambassador Power -

Let me say a couple of things. First, I think it is extremely important, as the Secretary General has said, that the UN look at its failures to respond to civilians who were in desperate need; South Sudanese civilians who were being attacked right outside the POC sites, and of course American and other international aid workers who were calling, appeared to have been calling UNMISS looking for help and not having their calls even taken. So all of that is very important and the investigation the Secretary General is doing is important and whatever lessons are learned need to be applied quickly.

 

However, it is also very important I think to know that the primary responsibility for those attacks lies with the attackers. And some of the focus on the UN role I think  has diverted from the fact of, in some cases government-affiliated militia carrying out these attacks, in some cases Opposition militia, and this is why it is so important that the commitments that have been made on accountability, to end impunity, to ensure that the perpetrators are held responsible, that is where the emphasis should be in this country.

 

I assure you that the Security Council is not going to rest until the UN itself looks at its apparent by-standing in the face of some of these attacks, but the primary issue is that those attacks occurred and the perpetrators need to be held accountable.

 

And just on the arms embargo question, because I think I answered it yesterday but let me come back to it: We, the United States has made it very clear as the penholder and as the authors with the rest of the Council of the UNMISS Resolution, that this Regional Protection Force is an important element of seeing stability improve, physical security for civilians here improve. And the Resolution makes it clear that in the event we can’t work through the modalities, which again I believe that we can in a spirit of partnership that we will have to look as a Council at other measures.

 

The US position is that we will support an arms embargo if we’re not able to get to  the deployment of the Force in a manner that actually enhances the welfare of the South Sudanese people.

 

Question: The time that you’re going to spend in South Sudan is short; a lot of activities meeting government officials, visiting other parts of the country. Is it enough to time to assess the situation on the ground? Two: Juba has been calm for some time now since the fighting erupted in July. Can you still say the troops have to be deployed in Juba or other parts of the country… (inaudible)?

 

Ambassador Samantha Power:

 

This issue came up of whether the Regional Protection Force was still needed given that Riek Machar has fled the country, given that the Transitional Government is working more smoothly, and I think we as a Council sent an unequivocal message that yes, this Force is still needed.

When the UN Security Council first created UNMISS it never imagined that there would 200.000 civilians gathered at UN sites, and those sites are tying down a significant portion of the capacity of UNMISS. So in order for UNMISS to be out and about, to be patrolling the streets, to be offering civilians confidence, and to be protecting installations, ensuring freedom of movement, this infusion of Regional Protection Forces is very important.

 

You raise the question of whether the Forces should be deployed outside of Juba given that the situation here appears at least for now to be calmer. I think it is a fair question. The mandate does not restrict them to Juba. It says that in extremis they would be deployed elsewhere and I think if the Force Commander and the Special Representative in consultation with the Government, if there’s an assessment that UNMISS’ forces who are currently in Juba, UNMISS as it is now, that those could be better deployed to Wau or to the equatorial parts of South Sudan, that’s a judgement that can be made over time. But we know that UNMISS as its currently configured is not providing sufficient security to the people of South Sudan. I do want to note that in meetings with youth and women and other members of civil society, notwithstanding the apparent return to greater calm in Juba, there’s still a great sense of fear that exists even just in Juba. And if that’s true in Juba, I’m assuming it’s going to be true in parts of the country that are experiencing violence as we sit here today, as we speak.

 

Your first question was on whether we felt comfortable in such a short trip making judgments about the situation on the ground. We would love to be able to deploy here as a Security Council and to live among our South Sudanese brothers and sisters to really get a sense of the circumstances on the ground. We have great humility about how much we can learn in a three-day trip and we’re fortunate many of us to have embassies on the ground and who will continue to keep us informed. We’re very fortunate to have UNMISS that send reporting back and we also, particularly as we build on the productive conversations that we’ve had here today look forward to staying in touch with ministers in the Government directly, as well as some of the civil society actors that we’ve gotten to know. So, we will never know South Sudan like the South Sudanese but we think it is important to get out here and we will know more certainly after three days than we knew before arriving and we’ll continue to take advantage of the knowledge that the rest of you provide. Thank you.

 

Minister Martin Elia Lomuro

Thank you very much.

 

UN Security Council meeting with the Cabinet; Ambassador Power -

Let me say a couple of things. First, I think it is extremely important, as the Secretary General has said, that the UN look at its failures to respond to civilians who were in desperate need; South Sudanese civilians who were being attacked right outside the POC sites, and of course American and other international aid workers who were calling, appeared to have been calling UNMISS looking for help and not having their calls even taken. So all of that is very important and the investigation the Secretary General is doing is important and whatever lessons are learned need to be applied quickly.

 

However, it is also very important I think to know that the primary responsibility for those attacks lies with the attackers. And some of the focus on the UN role I think  has diverted from the fact of, in some cases government-affiliated militia carrying out these attacks, in some cases Opposition militia, and this is why it is so important that the commitments that have been made on accountability, to end impunity, to ensure that the perpetrators are held responsible, that is where the emphasis should be in this country.

 

I assure you that the Security Council is not going to rest until the UN itself looks at its apparent by-standing in the face of some of these attacks, but the primary issue is that those attacks occurred and the perpetrators need to be held accountable.

 

And just on the arms embargo question, because I think I answered it yesterday but let me come back to it: We, the United States has made it very clear as the penholder and as the authors with the rest of the Council of the UNMISS Resolution, that this Regional Protection Force is an important element of seeing stability improve, physical security for civilians here improve. And the Resolution makes it clear that in the event we can’t work through the modalities, which again I believe that we can in a spirit of partnership that we will have to look as a Council at other measures.

 

The US position is that we will support an arms embargo if we’re not able to get to  the deployment of the Force in a manner that actually enhances the welfare of the South Sudanese people.

 

Question: The time that you’re going to spend in South Sudan is short; a lot of activities meeting government officials, visiting other parts of the country. Is it enough to time to assess the situation on the ground? Two: Juba has been calm for some time now since the fighting erupted in July. Can you still say the troops have to be deployed in Juba or other parts of the country… (inaudible)?

 

Ambassador Samantha Power:

 

This issue came up of whether the Regional Protection Force was still needed given that Riek Machar has fled the country, given that the Transitional Government is working more smoothly, and I think we as a Council sent an unequivocal message that yes, this Force is still needed.

When the UN Security Council first created UNMISS it never imagined that there would 200.000 civilians gathered at UN sites, and those sites are tying down a significant portion of the capacity of UNMISS. So in order for UNMISS to be out and about, to be patrolling the streets, to be offering civilians confidence, and to be protecting installations, ensuring freedom of movement, this infusion of Regional Protection Forces is very important.

 

You raise the question of whether the Forces should be deployed outside of Juba given that the situation here appears at least for now to be calmer. I think it is a fair question. The mandate does not restrict them to Juba. It says that in extremis they would be deployed elsewhere and I think if the Force Commander and the Special Representative in consultation with the Government, if there’s an assessment that UNMISS’ forces who are currently in Juba, UNMISS as it is now, that those could be better deployed to Wau or to the equatorial parts of South Sudan, that’s a judgement that can be made over time. But we know that UNMISS as its currently configured is not providing sufficient security to the people of South Sudan. I do want to note that in meetings with youth and women and other members of civil society, notwithstanding the apparent return to greater calm in Juba, there’s still a great sense of fear that exists even just in Juba. And if that’s true in Juba, I’m assuming it’s going to be true in parts of the country that are experiencing violence as we sit here today, as we speak.

 

Your first question was on whether we felt comfortable in such a short trip making judgments about the situation on the ground. We would love to be able to deploy here as a Security Council and to live among our South Sudanese brothers and sisters to really get a sense of the circumstances on the ground. We have great humility about how much we can learn in a three-day trip and we’re fortunate many of us to have embassies on the ground and who will continue to keep us informed. We’re very fortunate to have UNMISS that send reporting back and we also, particularly as we build on the productive conversations that we’ve had here today look forward to staying in touch with ministers in the Government directly, as well as some of the civil society actors that we’ve gotten to know. So, we will never know South Sudan like the South Sudanese but we think it is important to get out here and we will know more certainly after three days than we knew before arriving and we’ll continue to take advantage of the knowledge that the rest of you provide. Thank you.

 

Minister Martin Elia Lomuro

Thank you very much.

 

Talking points for SRSG interview to Radio Miraya on SC visit – to be recorded Thursday 1 September

What will be one the key things you expect the Council to be interested in?

The Security Council visit is a chance for the Council to see firsthand some of the challenges facing the people of the country, especially those who are located in UNMISS Protection of Civilian sites, and to also meet with civil society groups to get a better picture of some of the security, human rights and other challenges they face.

In your own discussions with the delegation and those they will have with the government what do you hope to achieve?

We are hoping for very constructive engagements with the Council, and for them to also have the opportunity to hear from the Transitional Government about any challenges or concerns they have with providing the necessary support, not only, to our implementation of the new mandate, but also the peace agreement.

As you know the Security Council has been very concerned, as are we, here in the Mission, with the continuous fighting in parts of the country, as well as the overall security and humanitarian situation, so we are hopeful that the visit will provide an impetus for frank discussions on how best the Government and the UN can work together for the benefit of the people of South Sudan.

How important is the timing of this visit?

It is close to the time for us to provide our first report to the Secretary General on the process of implementing aspects of our new mandate, and I am sure that  the delegation will be interested to hear about the progress we have made through our discussions with the Government and regional partners, in particular on the deployment of a regional protection force for Juba.

Any visit of the UN Security Council is an important event. It indicates a firm commitment to bringing much-needed peace to South Sudan, and it shows that the whole UN family and member states care about what the circumstances are here on the ground, and what the people of South Sudan are facing. It allows the Council to reaffirm that the UN is here to work with the Government – not against it – to improve the lives of its people.

 

 

Remarks by UN Security Council co-lead, Ambassador Samantha Power, Catholic Church, Wau

A delegation from the United Nations Security Council is expected to visit South Sudan next week.

 

The visit comes after the 15 member Council approved the deployment of a 4,000-strong protection force responsible for providing a secure environment in and around Juba, under the UN Peacekeeping mission.  

 

The Special Representative of the Secretary General and Head of UNMISS, Ellen Margrethe Løj announced the visit in a meeting with the minister of foreign affairs, Deng Alor Kuol on Monday.   

 

“We will have together with the government and the minister of foreign affairs, to work out a programme so that the members of Security Council can meet his Excellency the President and the government of South Sudan,” she said.

 

Ms Løj said the delegation will also discuss how the UN Mission will continue to work with the government to improve the situation in South Sudan. 

 

 

1. We understand the UN Security Council will be visiting South Sudan this weekend,

Who is leading the delegation?

Delegation will be arriving late Friday afternoon, and is being co-led by the two countries this is Permanent Representatives of the Missions of Senegal Ambassador Fode Seck, Ambassador Samantha Power for the United States.  Delegation comprised of other permanent member states of the SC and all 15 members made up five permanent members, with a further ten members sitting on the Council on a two-year rotation. The current Presidency of the Council for the month of September is held by New Zealand. So the delegation will be visiting South Sudan over the coming 4 days and will be holding a number of meetings as well going to one of the regions outside the capital.

 

1. What is the purpose of this visit?

SC has over the months voiced its strong concern on the state of the security and political process in the country.  They are troubled by the ongoing widespread violence and the dire impact on humanitarian level, the magnitude of the suffering on the people of South Sudan is worrying.  

They intend to use this visit to engage the with TGoNU, and also meet with CSG, including women’s representatives, and hear views about the next steps from the various communities.     They will also be taking time to visit the protection civilians site and see for themselves the humanitarian and security situation, and hear the IDPs needs, experiences, and challenges in the PoC Sites.

The visit really is for the SC to understand the real issues on the ground facing the ordinary citizen in South Sudan, so it can ascertain how the UN can better address the safety, security and human rights  concerns they have.   

Meetings with government is really to understand each other and get the peace process back on track, and we are asking the TGoNU to think of the people of South Sudan and how best to move the country forward putting all personal and political differences aside.  

Hopeful SC discussions with the government will clear up the issue of sovereignty and explain that the RPF called for in the recent SC resolution is not an occupying force, but really demonstrates concern and continued commitment from the international community for  people this  country, and RPF will work in coordination and with the consent of the TGoNU.

 

1. What can you tell us the protection sites?

The mission has 6 protection of civilians site across the country where currently we are providing protection to approximately 200,000 internally displaced persons who have sought refuge since 2013.      During the recent July Crisis in Juba, we saw an influx of an estimated 3,000 IDPs into the UN House POC site, and an estimated 4,000 take up refuge in our Tomping “transit site”; this  is a temporary location, as the Tomping base is not built/designed to host civilians.     We are in the process of undergoing a voluntary relocation of the IDPs from Tomping to UN house which is better designed to accommodate and offer access to humanitarian services for the IDPs.     Relocation is taking place 3x week and so far over 2000 IDPs that have voluntarily moved to UN house.

 

1. What are some of the challenges in protecting the civilians inside the camps? 

Challenges have been numerous, and it’s important to understand these PoC established at the onset of the 2013 conflict were a short term response to an emergency they were temporary in nature and are unsustainable in the medium to long term.

Currently the mission is providing protection to approx. 200,000 internally displaced in 6 poc sites across the country.   So overcrowding is an issue and makes it hard to maintain hygiene standards and basis services for everyone, particularly in the more remote locations.

Providing 24/7 physical protection is another, and maintaining a deterrent from any perceived physical threat from outside armed groups with the intention to harm IDPs has its own challenges, as is protecting IDPs who leave the sites during the course of the day, to go out and collect and purchase essentials; as they can be subjected to sexual violence, harassment, and abductions.  

Keeping law and order inside the poc sites is another challenge particularly among restless youth, and we try to discourage political agitation inside the sites to ensure they remain secure.  With the support of POC community watch groups the mission conduct search operations in the PoC sites where contraband and offensive weapons are confiscated so as to ensure a fire arm free PoC site; this is to help in keeping with the civilian and humanitarian character of these sites.   

Such prolonged encampment is not a viable or healthy solution for anybody, and as I said earlier the sites were established as “temporary” solution.

 

Emphasize the ultimate responsibility for protecting civilians and creating a safe and secure environment lies with the TGoNU.   The UN can only work with the cooperation of the transitional government to reinforce the protection of civilians and delivery of humanitarian assistance, So there is a need for the government to provide the necessary support to UNMISS so we can implement the mandate and carry out our operations.  

 

UN Security Council meeting with the Cabinet; Elia Lomuro -

Ladies and gentle of the press, thank you for being with us this very important day. We have just concluded a meeting between the cabinet of the Transitional Government of National Unity and a delegation from the United Nations Security Council led by Her Excellency Samantha Power who is a friend of South Sudan. We had a very very good discussion; very wide-ranging discussions.

 

We brief the United Nations Security Council on the current political situation in the Republic of South Sudan. We gave them an overview of progress in the implementation of the Agreement.

We also outlined the chronology of the events that took place between the 7^th and the 11^th; and raised some concerns with regards to issues of relevance to this particular visit.

 

We heard from the members of the Security Council from various countries very useful comments about the implementation of the Agreement and the need for us to move expeditiously so that they can see us moving; the need for us to create partnership with UNMISS, and that the Protection Force that is being proposed is there to help us rather than to come and invade the Republic of South Sudan.

 

And based on our own actions and how we plan together with UNMISS that Force could be helpful to us in improving our security situation and giving more life to the people of the Republic of South Sudan.

 

We also addressed the specific issue of the unfortunate events that took place on the 11^th in Terrain Hotel where some criminals and some undisciplined soldiers unfortunately interfered with the freedom of some of our aid workers. That is a matter of high priority to the United Nations delegation here  and we addressed it; we had a very positive exchange of views on how to conclude the investigations.

 

We talked of child issues, child soldiers, and the issue of POCs and so on. But generally speaking I want to assure the people of South Sudan that the rumour out there that the UN has come to impose on us and to bring foreign forces to take the freedom of South Sudan is not there. What is being underlined here is partnership between the Government of the Republic of South Sudan and the UN as n how to improve security and to prevent conflict in our country. Thank you. Otherwise, I want to welcome Samantha.

 

Ambassador Samantha Power:

 

Thank you all. We did have a very productive several-hour meeting. It went on an hour longer, than I think we had anticipated, because we felt we were making progress on a number of issues.

I want to underscore the point that was made just there at the end by the minister, which is that part the reason the meeting was useful is that we got to debunk, as the Security Council, some of the myths that have existed about what the Security Council has intended. In my case I got to debunk some of the propaganda about the United States and our intentions with regards to South Sudan and I think, I hope that the minister’s view as he just articulated is shared by every other minister in the room that there is now an understanding that when we talk about sending 4000 peacekeepers to South Sudan on top of the Force that is here, it is with one constituency in mind, and that is the people of South Sudan. It is with an eye to protecting them; it is with an eye to ensuring that they get the humanitarian assistance that they need. Some are facing famine-like conditions as all of you know and I think there has been a lot of rhetoric out there about what the regional protection force will and will not do, and we got a chance to talk through in very pragmatic terms what some its functions will be, and I hope that we have bridged some of the divides that have existed up to this point.

 

Another issue, as the minister mentioned that got a lot of attention was that of accountability. And some raised the questions about whether peace comes first, followed by justice, or justice comes before peace. Fundamentally, we know that they have to go hand in hand. For as long as armed actors rape, loot and kill with impunity; for as long as they’re not held accountable it will be very very hard for the cause of peace to take hold here. Even if the Government can make bureaucratic changes, set up committees, move forward with legal implementation, the hearts of the people need to see justice in order for them to trust in this process. And so the accountability measures, the national reconciliation structure that the Government is setting up, the Commission of Inquiry that the Government has set up generally, and that has been set specifically on the Terrain incident, all of these are extremely important, but it’s less about structures and what gets created and more about what these bodies do, and whether those who have committed ghastly acts against the South Sudanese, against UN peacekeepers, against aid workers, whether they in fact are held accountable. And so we had a discussion about what might strengthen some of the bodies that have set up, including more perceptions of independence and more independence for some of the institutions that are carrying out the investigation.

 

I just want to say briefly in my national capacity am worried about the Terrain attacks because American citizens were involved; they were raped by soldiers wearing government uniforms. The investigation is underway. It is extremely important that witnesses and people involved in those attacks feel comfortable coming forward, and therefore it is extremely important that there be some independent mechanism or independent body that can take testimonies, witness testimonies, because many of the victims feel frightened to come forward for fear then they would be retaliated against, or those still in the country raped again. So, I just want to underscore that’s a point that I have a chance to make and I hope that the government will take that into account.

 

The very last issue I want to raise is that as a united Council we raised concerns about the obstruction of UNMISS inability to move. We got assurances from the minister that there’s no intention to block the movement of UN troops; there’s no intention to block humanitarian actors from reaching people in need. Indeed it struck us that there might some information gaps, because many in the meetings said they were not aware of humanitarian actors unable to reach people in need. And so out of this meeting we hope very quickly to make progress on the severe freedom of movement concerns that the Council has brought with us to South Sudan and we really appreciated the constructive spirit in which the meeting was held, and I think a message sent by each side to the other that we hear you, we hear your concerns; we want to take them to heart and we want to see how pragmatically we can move forward in a way that addresses the concerns of each side.

 

With that, Fode Seck from Senegal, the co-Chair … no thanks, I think we’re going to go because we’re so late.

 

Minister Martin Elia Lomuro

I’m afraid we can’t take any question, unless one … quick …

 

Question: What’s the US position about an arms embargo?

 

Ambassador Samantha Power: I addressed that yesterday at a press conference….

Ms. Ellen Margarethe Loej, Special Representative of the Secretary General and Head of the UN Mission in South Sudan, met this morning with the Cabinet Affairs Minister, Martin Elia Lomuro, to follow up on the UN Security Council's recent visit. 

 

Speaking after the meeting in Juba, the SRSG described the discussions as ‘fruitful,’ and said the Mission will continue to cooperate with the Transitional Government to work for peace, justice, and prosperity in South Sudan.

 

Ms Loej said UNMISS will carry on engaging with the government on the issues agreed upon during the Council’s visit.

 

In the joint communique issued after the Council’s visit on Sunday, the government gave its consent to the deployment of a protection force recently authorized by the Security Council, and committed to immediately improve humanitarian access and remove all impediments on UNMISS’ ability to implement its mandate. 

 

The UN Mission on its part made commitments to inform the Transitional Government of National Unity of all movements and of other details as appropriate.

 

Statement by the Hon. Martin Elia Lomoro, Minister of Cabinet Affairs, Republic of South Sudan, following a meeting held between the United Nations Security Council delegation and President Kiir.