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