U.N sends more Peacekeepers to South Sudan as violence spreads
The U.N. Security Council approved plans on Tuesday to almost double the number of peacekeepers in South Sudan in a bid to protect civilians from violence.
The Council’s decision came as reports of mass graves fueled fears of ethnic bloodshed in the world’s newest state.
The 15-member council unanimously authorized a plan by U.N. Secretary-General, Ban Ki-moon to boost the strength of the force in South Sudan to 12,500 troops and 1,323 police, as some 45,000 civilians seek protection at U.N. bases.
The additional U.N. troops and police will reinforce U.N. bases where civilians are seeking shelter. But Ban warned, “Even with additional capabilities, we will not be able to protect every civilian in need in South Sudan.”
Violence erupted in the capital Juba on December 15 and quickly spread, dividing the land-locked country of 10.8 million along ethnic lines of Nuer and Dinka. South Sudan seceded from Sudan in 2011 under a peace agreement to end decades of war.
“My cousin and nephew were both caught and executed. How can I leave this place?” asked Gatjang, a 29-year-old Nuer at a U.N. base in Juba where thousands of civilians were crammed. “Even here. What if they sneak inside and attack us?”
Western powers and East African states, keen to prevent more chaos in a fragile region, have tried to mediate between President Salva Kiir, a Dinka, and rebel leader Riek Machar, a Nuer, who was vice president until Kiir sacked him in July.
“Whatever the differences, nothing can justify the violence that has engulfed their young nation,” Ban told the council after the vote. “There is no military solution to this conflict. This is a political crisis which requires a peaceful, political solution.”
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