UNIMISS-MANDATE (UNITED NATIONS MISSION IN SOUTH SUDAN)

 

UNITED NATIONS MISSION IN SOUTH SUDAN

UNIMISS-MANDATE

Through Resolution 2729 (2024), the Security Council has extended the UNMISS mandate until 30 April 2025, highlighting that the mission is designed to advance a multiyear strategic vision to prevent a return to civil war and an escalation of violence in South Sudan; to enable the self-reliance of South Sudan and to address the critical gaps towards building durable peace at the local and national levels; to support inclusive and accountable governance; and to provide support for free and fair, peaceful elections in accordance with the Revitalized Agreement. The Council also requested the Secretary General to inform the Security Council of any obstacles to the implementation of the mandate and stressed that the protection of civilians shall be given priority in decisions about the use of available capacity and resources

Acting under Chapter VII of the Charter of the United Nations, UNMISS is therefore authorized to use all necessary means to implement its mandate which includes:

(a) Protection of civilians:

• Ensure effective, timely and dynamic protection of civilians under threat of physical violence, through a comprehensive and integrated approach, irrespective of of the source and location of the violence.
   
• Prevent, deter, and stop violence against civilians, including politically driven violence, particularly in high-risk areas, as well as promptly and effectively engage any actor that is credibly found to be preparing attacks, or engages in attacks, against civilians, IDP camps and the UNMISS Protection of Civilians site. 
   
•  Maintain proactive deployment and a mobile, flexible, robust and effective posture by active patrolling with particular attention to high risk areas, IDP camps, and the UNMISS Protection of Civilians site and identify as well as deter potential threats or attacks through a mission-wide early warning and response system. 
   
• Maintain public safety and security of and within existing UNMISS protection of civilians sites, and wherever protection of civilians sites have been redesignated, to protect civilians in those re-designated camps under the sovereign responsibility of the Government, if the security situation deteriorates.
   
• Deter, prevent, and respond to sexual and gender-based violence, including by actively intervening to protect civilians threatened by, and survivors of, sexual violence.
   
• Exercise good offices, confidence-building, and facilitation in support of UNMISS’s protection strategy, especially in regard to women and children, to prevent, mitigate, and resolve intercommunal violence by supporting community-led peace dialogue processes.
   
• Support development and implementation of gender-responsive community violence reduction programmes, to help reduce intercommunal violence and collaborate with partners to complement community disarmament initiatives, with a particular focus on members of armed groups ineligible or unwilling to be integrated into the Necessary Unified Forces, women and youth.
   
• Provide technical assistance and build capacities to help the Government of South Sudan expand and reform the rule of law and justice sector.
   
• Foster a secure environment for the safe, informed, voluntary, and dignified return, relocation, resettlement or integration into host communities for IDPs and refugees.
   
• Promptly and effectively engage any actor credibly found to be preparing or engaging in attacks against civilians, IDP camps, UNMISS protection of civilians sites, other United Nations premises and personnel, or international and national humanitarian actors.

 (b) Creating conditions conducive to the delivery of humanitarian assistance:

• Coordinate with humanitarian actors to create secure conditions for the delivery of assistance and ensure full, safe and unhindered access to all those in need in South Sudan.
   
• Ensure the security and freedom of movement of UN personnel, installations, and equipment.

(c) Supporting the Implementation of the Revitalised Agreement and the Peace Process:

• Use good offices to support the peace process and implementation of the Revitalised Agreement, including through advice, technical assistance, and coordination with regional actors.
   
• Assist all parties in the full, effective, and meaningful participation of women, youth, civil society and other marginalized groups in the peace process and transitional governance structures.
   
• Participate in and support the work of CTSAMVM, RJMEC, and other implementation mechanisms.
   
• Use good offices to assist the Government of South Sudan and other relevant parties in upholding a phased approach to elections that focuses on creating political and civic space, transitional security arrangements, and an inclusive constitutional review process. 
   
• Provide technical assistance for the electoral process, as appropriate, in coordination with the United Nations Country Team, regional and international partners, as well as security support to facilitate the electoral cycle.  

(d) Monitoring, investigating, and reporting on violations of humanitarian and human rights law:

• Monitor, investigate, verify, and report immediately and publicly on abuses and violations of human rights and international humanitarian law, including possible war crimes or crimes against humanity.
   
• Report specifically and publicy on violations and abuses committed against women and children, including sexual and gender-based violence, and accelerate implementation of new mechanisms to monitor, analyze and report on conflict-related sexual violence and abuses against children.
   
• Monitor, investigate, and report on incidents of hate speech and incitement to violence.
   
• Work with international, regional, and national mechanisms engaged in monitoring, investigating, prosecuting, and reporting on violations of humanitarian and human rights law.

The overall ceiling for uniformed personnel is maintained with a troop ceiling of 17,000 personnel, and a police ceiling of 2,101 personnel, including 88 corrections officers.

United Nations honours 22 Ugandan police officers in South Sudan

UNITED NATIONS HONOURS 22 UGANDAN POLICE OFFICERS IN SOUTH SUDAN

United Nations have honoured 22 Uganda police officers for their contribution towards peace building in South Sudan. The 22 officers have been working in South Sudan for a year carrying out training of South Sudanese police officers in new police technics.

According to a police statement, “United Nations Mission in South Sudan Police Commissioner, Unaisi Lutu Vuniwaqua, awarded the Ugandan officers with special United Nations medals as a token of appreciation for their sacrifice, hard work, and perseverance towards building the capacity of South Sudan National Police Force.”

South Sudan, the youngest nation in the world, has been facing challenges of policing due to instability that has affected the country for decades and shortage of trained police officers.

Ms. Vuniwaqua thanked Uganda government for sending team that composed of 36 per cent women officers. The Uganda Police Force’s tasks also involved protection of civilians in South Sudan.

Assistant Inspector General of Police Grace Turyagumanawe, who is the director for Uganda Police Peace Support Operations, said they sent a team which has knowledge that was tested and have ended the tour duty without any incidents.

“You have interacted with your colleagues from different countries and you have learnt a lot from the best practices and performances. It will definitely go a long way in enriching the police work at home,” AIGP Turyagumanawe said.

He said security problems in one country affect others and there is need to have a joint approach on insecurity and criminality to save humanity.

Uganda police has been involved in peacekeeping mission since 2004 and they have deployed in Liberia, Kosovo, East Timor, Sudan and Somalia.

Security Council renews UN peacekeeping mission in South Sudan

SECURITY COUNCIL RENEWS UN PEACEKEEPING MISSION IN SOUTH SUDAN

The United Nations Security Council on Thursday renewed the mandate of UN peacekeeping mission in South Sudan for another year and demanded that all parties immediately end the fighting countrywide.

With the unanimous adoption of a resolution on the mandate extension until 15 March 2019, the UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) is charged with performing such tasks as protecting civilians, creating the conditions conducive to the delivery of humanitarian assistance, monitoring and investigating human rights violations, and supporting the peace process.  

The Council decided to maintain the overall force levels of UNMISS with a troop ceiling of 17,000 troops, which includes a Regional Protection Force at levels to be set by the Secretary-General but not exceeding 4,000, and maintaining the ceiling of 2,101 police personnel, including individual police officers, formed police units and 78 corrections officers.

The 15-member body also demanded that all parties immediately end the fighting across the country, and further demanded that national leaders abide by the ceasefires agreed on 11 July 2016 and 22 May 2017, as well as the truce signed on 21 December 2017.

South Sudan attained independence from Sudan in July 2011 after a referendum, becoming the world’s newest country. The Security Council established UNMISS to support the transition, having determined that the situation faced by South Sudan continued to constitute a threat to international peace and security in the region.

The country has since faced ongoing challenges due to a political face-off between two rival factions that erupted into full blown conflict in December 2013. The crisis has produced one of the world’s worst displacement situations with immense suffering for civilians.

UN EXTENDS PEACEKEEPING MISSION IN SOUTH SUDAN

UN EXTENDS PEACEKEEPING MISSION IN SOUTH SUDAN

The UN Security Council has extended the mandate of its peacekeeping mission in South Sudan until March 2018, pending a review of its operations. The UN Secretary-General’s most recent report on the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) recommended that the mandate be extended for two months, awaiting the completion of an ongoing strategic review of operations.

In a meeting to discuss the situation of South Sudan on Thursday, the UNSC members unanimously adopted Resolution 2392 of 2017 that also authorized the mission to use all necessary means to carry out its tasks as set out in Resolution 2327 of last year.

The 15-member organ called on the government of South Sudan to live by its commitment to cooperating fully with UNMISS. It further condemned actions against United Nations and humanitarian workers and civilians.

The UNSC emphasized the UNMISS mandate to investigate abuses of human rights and humanitarian law, and reiterated that perpetrators of violations must be held accountable. The current extended mandate will run until 15th March 2018.

Last month, South Sudan’s Minister of Cabinet Affairs, Dr.Martin Elia Lomoro, said the government wants the UNMISS mandate to focus on governance, capacity building and development rather than protection of civilians. South Sudan’s power struggle which denigrated into armed conflict entered its fifth year this month.

THE PEOPLE OF SOUTH SUDAN ARE ‘DESPERATE FOR PEACE,’ BUT POLITICAL CRISIS PERSISTS – UN PEACEKEEPING CHIEF

THE PEOPLE OF SOUTH SUDAN ARE ‘DESPERATE FOR PEACE,’ BUT POLITICAL CRISIS PERSISTS – UN PEACEKEEPING CHIEF

21 June 2017 – Deliberate actions by the Government and opposition armed forces as well as other actors to advance their political goals continue to severely undermine efforts to get the country back on the path to peace and development, the top United Nations peacekeeping official has warned.

“We must not lose sight of the fact that this tragedy is man-made,” Jean-Pierre Lacroix, the UN Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations, told the Security Council today.

He added that the Sudanese Peoples Liberation Army (SPLA)-in Government, the SPLA-in Opposition, and various other entities, took decisions that have fed the conflict, creating “ever deeper divisions between the people of South Sudan.”

In his briefing to the 15-member Council, Mr. Lacroix emphasized that while the Organization continues to make every effort to implement its commitment to the country, “only a truly inclusive political process and the genuine political will” of the key protagonists to end the conflict and implement agreements they reached will bring peace to the war-torn country.

Continued violence and insecurity has left more than half of South Sudan's population in need of food aid. Furthermore, a third of its population is displaced and half of those displaced have sought refuge in neighbouring Uganda, Sudan, Kenya and Ethiopia.

Of particular concern, Mr. Lacroix said, are persisting hostilities in many parts of the country, even after a ceasefire commitment made by President Salva Kiir.

He also informed Council members that in the midst of the fighting, the UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) is “doing its utmost” to protect civilians.

“Our peacekeepers are persistent in getting through checkpoints to reach vulnerable populations, even when the patrols are threatened and, at times, shot at […], giving the populations confidence that we are there to protect them enables us to report human rights abuses, and helps us to support our humanitarian partners in ensuring that assistance goes to those who need it most.”

He also updated members on progress towards the deployment of the Rapid Protection Force (RPF), mandated by the Council last year to provide a secure environment in and around capital Juba, and noted some issues concerning the plot of land provided by the Government to the RPF to establish its northern basing site.

Further in his briefing, with regard to a pledge made by President Kiir to release political prisoners, the UN peacekeeping chief told the Council that while one UN staff member was released recently, two others have been held for two years without charge, and another has recently been detained in Rumbek.

“We must judge the President's commitments by his actions, not his words,” said Mr. Lacroix, also calling for full freedom of movement for the Ceasefire Transitional Security Arrangement Monitoring Mechanism (CTSAMM) to monitor and verify ceasefire violations as well as UNMISS, “which have faced far too many obstructions to their movements, making their work extremely challenging, and in some cases, impossible.”

UNPOL STEPS UP ANTI-CRIME CRACKDOWN AT BENTIU PoC SITE SOUTH SUDAN

UNPOL STEPS UP ANTI-CRIME CRACKDOWN AT BENTIU PoC SITE SOUTH SUDAN

The United Nations mission in South Sudan - UNMISS has stepped up its crime control measures to ensure security and safety in the Protection of civilian site at the UN base in Bentiu. Bentiu PoC sites currently shelters more than 120 thousand internally displaced persons.

The United Nations police have been running an anti-crime campaign focussed at tackling crimes that have the greatest impact on the IDPs such as - violence and disorder, and antisocial behaviour.

Francis Yiribare, the UNPOL PoC site coordinator for the Bentiu PoC site said the campaign by the UN Police in Bentiu is designed to rid the PoC site of violence. Yiribera spoke with Zenebe describing the kind of crimes UNPOL is dealing with in the PoC site.