3 June 2014 – South Sudanese should put ethnic divisions behind them and unite as citizens of their country, UNMISS’ top official said today in the Jonglei capital Bor.

“South Sudan will not survive if you allow tribalism to prevail,” Special Representative of the Secretary-General (SRSG) Hilde F. Johnson told leaders of more than 3,600 internally displaced persons (IDPs) living in the UNMISS compound.

“You will (achieve peace) in the end when all of you say ‘South Sudan is my tribe,’” said Ms. Johnson, who was visiting the town as part of a continuing farewell tour of the mission’s state offices.

The trip marked the SRSG’s first visit to Jonglei since the South Sudan crisis erupted in Juba in mid-December and spread to several other states, including Jonglei.

During her stay, Ms. Johnson met with Deputy Governor Baba Medan Konyi as well as several state government ministers and advisers, toured the UNMISS compound’s recently opened hospital run by Sri Lankan military personnel and visited a makeshift primary school classroom where volunteers teach IDP children.

The deputy governor registered strong disapproval of an attack on the UNMISS protection area at the Bor base by an armed mob on 17 April that left 51 people dead.

“As the government of Jonglei State, we condemn strongly what happened,” said Mr. Konyi, who began the meeting by stating that no significant fighting had occurred in the state since the national government signed a peace deal with the South Sudan Democratic Movement/South Sudan Defence Army-Cobra Faction led by David Yau Yau on 9 May.

“We’re working very hard to achieve peace in this country,” said the deputy governor. “We’re trying to harmonize the situation and bring the communities together.”

The conciliatory tone of Mr. Konyi’s remarks cut a stark contrast with comments made by some of IDPs, who spoke with SRSG Johnson about the 17 April attack and its aftermath.

“Even now, they continue to threaten us,” said a Presbyterian minister from the Jonglei county of Uror, referring to the Bor Dinka community in the state capital. “It’s better for us to be relocated to another place like (the Jonglei county of) Akobo. If there was no UNMISS, all of these people would not survive.”

The SRSG ended her visit with a town hall meeting, where she praised UNMISS staff members for the valor and dedication they repeatedly demonstrated over the past five months in the face of attacks mounted against the Bor base and the influx of IDPs, whose ranks peaked at 16,000 earlier this year.