Mister President,
I thank the SRSG Mr. Shearer and Under-Secretary General Mr. Lowcock for their briefing.
I would like to start with a positive note and acknowledge the allocation of state and county level government portfolios. However, in general, the thorough reports by the Panel of Experts and the Secretary General make for a grim reading. The implementation of the Revitalized Agreement has mostly stalled and the deadlines for military unification and government institutions are not taken seriously enough. The economic reforms and the establishment of key transitional justice institutions, like the Hybrid Courts, have not been implemented and the Upper Nile still has no governor. We continue to hope that the governor will be appointed, which will make local mediation efforts easier.
We remain very disturbed about the continued extensive involvement of heavily armed civil defence groups in sub-national violence and its impact on civilians. We are afraid that the violence will continue in the dry season, which is beginning already next month. The continued increase in civilians’ abductions including women, girls and boys especially by NAS and other armed elements remains a major concern. Political actors increasingly manipulate violence at a local level, which in turn is extending the national conflict. In light of the horrendous human rights violations, we remain supportive of the sanctions and the territorial arms embargo. Allegations on how the arms embargo damages the equipping of a unitary army and therefore the prospects of peace are misleading, as there are provisions for exceptions.
For us, the importance of accountability cannot be stressed enough. It should also be of critical importance to South Sudan to stop the cycle of violence and create conditions for South Sudanese to feel the dividends of the peace agreement. Therefore, we encourage South Sudanese authorities to promote local accountability initiatives in compliance with international humanitarian law standards.
The overall humanitarian situation in the country remains dire, and has worsened due to the rainy season. Heavy rains displaced many and the food security situation worsened. Sadly, the humanitarian access has also deteriorated mainly due to the ongoing hostilities against humanitarian workers. We call for the South Sudan government to help us deliver the humanitarian aid, as it is a matter of life and death to so many.
Sadly, UNMISS has experienced an exponential increase in access denials for its patrols. We call the South Sudanese authorities not to obstruct the peace process, but to help achieve it.
Last, but not least, I want to thank the Panel of Experts, the UNMISS personnel and Mr David Shearer for their tremendous work in a very testing environment.
I thank you, Mister President
