IGAD wants UN to extend peacekeeping mission in South Sudan with revised mandate

The Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) has called upon the UN Security Council to extend the peacekeeping mission in South Sudan with a revised mandate. This was one of the outcomes of the Extra-Ordinary Summit of the IGAD Plus Heads of State and Government held in Kigali on Saturday on the sidelines of the just concluded 27th AU Summit. The revised mandate of the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) would include the deployment of a regional protection force to separate the warring parties, protect major installations and the civilian population and pacification of the capital, Juba. A communiqué issued Sunday indicates that leaders of the eight-country bloc consulted with colleagues representing the five regions of Africa, under what was referred to as the IGAD Plus, on the prevailing situation in South Sudan. The meeting was chaired by Hailemariam Desalegn, the Prime Minister of Ethiopia and current Chairperson of the IGAD Assembly. It condemned in strongest terms the fighting that broke out in Juba on July 7 between forces loyal to President Salva Kiir and those loyal to Vice-president Riek Marchar, and the huge loss of lives and casualties caused, as well as the displacement of the civilian population and destruction of property. Leaders called for immediate investigation of the recent violence in Juba and elsewhere in South Sudan with a view to ensuring accountability of those responsible for the breakdown of law and order; and supported recommendations by the UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon to re-enforce the UN Mission in South Sudan. They urged the Transitional Government of National Unity to establish “without further delay” the security architecture envisaged in the August 2015 peace agreement, and provide unhindered access to the monitoring and verification teams. IGAD leaders called for immediate cantonment of armed forces throughout the country to separate the forces in accordance with previous ceasefire and transitional security arrangements. An appeal to the international community and humanitarian agencies to come to the rescue of affected populations in South Sudan was also made. The leaders appealed to the international community and humanitarian agencies to strengthen their presence and mobilise requisite resources. They demanded the parties to the conflict in South Sudan to guarantee safe humanitarian corridors for passage of displaced communities and delivery of humanitarian supplies The IGAD meeting was attended by, among others, Presidents Paul Kagame of Rwanda, Ismaïl Omar Guelleh of Djibouti, Uhuru Kenyatta, of Kenya, Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, of Somalia; Omar Hassan al-Bashir of Sudan and Yoweri Kaguta Museveni of Uganda. Also in attendance were Idriss Deby, the President of Chad and the Chairperson of the African Union; Jacob Zuma, the President of South Africa; Prof Yomi Osinbayo Gcon, the Vice President of Nigeria; and Ban Ki Moon, UN Secretary General. Soon after hostilities broke out, the UN and the International Conference on the Great Lakes Region (ICGLR) urged the warring parties to cease hostilities and work together as partners to implement the peace agreement, and allow South Sudanese to enjoy peace and stability. On Monday, John Bosco Kalisa, chairperson of the Rwandan community in South Sudan, who is now in Kigali, said the situation in Juba “is now calm’’ after the ceasefire announcement on July 11. “Juba is calm and business activities have resumed and no more killings. However, people still have fear and concerns due to what happened. International and regional staff have also left Juba,” Kalisa who left Juba last Wednesday by a chartered flight through, Nairobi said. Kalisa earlier said nearly 700 Rwandan civilians living in Juba, engaged in various businesses; mainly trade, were being protected by UNMISS. Some of them work with UN agencies and other government agencies. Ban said the fighting in Juba represented a “new betrayal of the people of South Sudan, who have suffered from unfathomable atrocities since December 2013.” editorial@newtimes.co.rw

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IGAD wants UN to extend peacekeeping mission in South Sudan with revised mandate