Statement by Deputy Permanent Representative Anna Evstigneeva at a UNSC Briefing on South Sudan
Mr. President,
We would like to thank Mr. Nicholas Haysom, Special Representative of the Secretary-General, Ms. Edem Wosornu, OCHA Director of Operations, as well as Ms. Jackline Nasiwa, a representative of South Sudanese civil society. We are grateful for the information they’ve shared. We welcome the participation of the Permanent Representative of South Sudan in today's meeting.
We are concerned by the escalating situation in the Republic of South Sudan and by the instances of resumed hostilities between supporters of the opposition and Government troops, resulting in the loss of human life, including among civilians. We trust that the parties to the South Sudanese political process will be able to promptly reach agreement and stop the armed confrontation. We also hope that they will demonstrate political will to fully implement the provisions of the Revitalized Peace Agreement on settling the conflict in the Republic of South Sudan, and will make the necessary efforts to strictly comply with the new timeline of the transitional period. An important component of the process is the creation of unified armed forces as a guarantor for the advancement of the peace process.
We believe that the situation in South Sudan is under the control of the current Government. President Salva Kiir has delivered a statement to that effect, wherein he assured that he would not allow for the country to slide into a new civil war. In the same vein, Juba is taking steps to bolster security in the capital. We believe that the Council's overarching task at the moment is to facilitate the authorities’ efforts towards stabilization rather than stoke unnecessary pressure. It is important that further steps to find common ground between the antagonists be undertaken with the assistance and mediation of those parties who are trusted by the South Sudanese themselves. We believe that it is important to preclude reciprocal accusatory rhetoric by the leading political forces of South Sudan.
We are gravely concerned by the reports that the territory of South Sudan can possibly be used as a staging ground to support one of the parties to the conflict in neighboring Sudan. We expect that the sovereignty of the Republic of South Sudan will not be called into question and that relations between the two brotherly countries will be built in a spirit of partnership and good-neighborliness. That is particularly necessary given the economic interdependence between the Sudan and South Sudan.
We have taken note of the decision by the Government of South Sudan to postpone general elections in the country until December 2026. We stand convinced that voting issues are internal matters of South Sudan.
We support international efforts to normalize the situation and reinforce peace and security in South Sudan. We pay tribute to the mediation efforts of the African Union and IGAD member States. We trust that the ministerial-level subcommittee on South Sudan, which was formed following the recent extraordinary IGAD summit, will be able to effectively facilitate the stabilization on the ground.
At the current complicated juncture, the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) continues to make a meaningful contribution to the implementation of specific provisions of the Revitalized Peace Agreement. Let us recall the inadmissibility of any acts of force targeting UN peacekeepers; we emphatically condemn any acts of violence against Blue Helmets, representatives of humanitarian organizations and civilians. We trust that it will be through dialogue that the Mission's leadership and the host country will find a mutually acceptable solution to the issue of the UNMISS Tomping base.
Thank you.
