S/PV.7091 Security Council

In accordance with rule 37 of the Council’s provisional rules of procedure, I invite the representative of South Sudan to participate in this meeting. The Security Council will now begin its consideration of the item on its agenda. Members of the Council have before them document S/2013/760, which contains the text of a draft resolution submitted by Australia, France, Luxembourg, the Republic of Korea, Rwanda, Togo, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the United States of America. I wish to draw the attention of Council members to document S/2013/758, which contains a letter dated 23 December 2013 from the Secretary-General addressed to the President of the Security Council. It is my understanding that the Council is ready to proceed to the vote on the draft resolution before it. I shall put the draft resolution to the vote now.

There 15 were votes in favour. The draft resolution has been adopted unanimously as resolution 2132 (2013). I welcome the presence of the Secretary-General, His Excellency Mr. Ban Ki-moon, and I now give him the floor.

Let me begin by thanking the Security Council for its action and engagement in addressing the mounting crisis in South Sudan. We are all deeply troubled by the events that have unfolded in recent days. There are reports of ethnically targeted violence, including extrajudicial killings and mass graves. The displacement of civilians is growing and spreading, with some 45,000 people seeking protection at the bases of the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS). I reiterate the calls for maximum restraint by all communities in South Sudan. There is no military solution to this conflict. It is a political crisis that requires a peaceful political solution. We are working closely with the regional leaders and parties on the ground to establish a basis for negotiations. At the same time, I am determined to ensure that UNMISS has the means to carry out its central task of protecting civilians. I welcome the resolution adopted today (resolution 2132 (2013)), which calls for an immediate cessation of hostilities and the opening of dialogue, demands that all parties cooperate fully with UNMISS, and authorizes the temporary strengthening of protection capacities with additional troops, police and logistical assets from other United Nations missions. I have spoken with a number of regional leaders and want to acknowledge their efforts and vital support. I thank the troop- and police-contributing countries that have agreed to the temporary relocation of their personnel and assets. We are coordinating closely with other United Nations missions to ensure that the redeployments do not affect the implementation of their respective mandates. I commend our brave peacekeepers and all United Nations personnel who are helping to protect civilians, provide humanitarian assistance and monitor the human rights situation, under very difficult circumstances. We have lost two peacekeepers in the past week and one was wounded. One International Labour Organization employee was killed. Earlier today, three UNMISS personnel were injured at the United Nations base in Bor, Jonglei state. Attacks on civilians and United Nations peacekeepers must cease immediately. The United Nations will investigate reports of those incidents and of the grave human rights violations and crimes against humanity. Those responsible will be held personally accountable. They should know that the world is watching. Human rights are a cornerstone of our efforts and I am urgently strengthening our human rights capacity in the country. I welcome the urgency and collective resolve of the Security Council today. I trust that the Council and other Member States will continue to do their part to provide the personnel, equipment and logistical support required to ensure a timely deployment of those additional troops and enablers. Without such support, the Secretariat will not be able to quickly deploy the additional capacity required. Even with the ongoing support, the strengthening of UNMISS protection capabilities will not happen overnight. Even with additional capabilities, we will not be able to protect every civilian in need in South Sudan. The parties are responsible for ending the conflict. In the end, political dialogue is the only solution. I have consistently called on President Salva Kiir and opposition political leaders to come to the table and to find a political way out of the crisis. Whatever the differences, nothing can justify the violence that has engulfed their young nation. They must do everything in their power to immediately ensure that their followers hear the message loud and clear: continued violence, ethnic or otherwise, is completely unacceptable. Now is the time for South Sudan’s leaders to show their people and the world that they are committed to preserving the unity of the nation that was born out of their long struggle for independence.

I now give the floor to the representative of South Sudan.

Since this is the first time that my delegation addresses the Security Council during your presidency, let me begin by congratulating you, Sir, on your assumption of this important role at this critical juncture in our country’s precarious situation. We assure you of the full support and cooperation of our delegation and Government. We very much appreciate the strong attention that Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and the international community at large have given to this crisis. South Sudan has been consistently grateful for the support that the international community and the United Nations have extended to our nascent country before and after our independence. That is needed particularly now as we are experiencing a period of complex internal conflict that is threatening large sections of our population. The South Sudanese do not want to fall back into the abyss of war, from which they have suffered for over half a century. South Sudan stands in full solidarity with the international community in the protection of civilians and international aid workers. It has been heartening to witness the protection that the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) has provided to tens of thousands of civilians in their compounds. I would also like to express our heartfelt condolences to the families that have lost loved ones, to the Republic of India and, indeed, to UNMISS for the tragic loss of peacekeepers in the Mission’s compound in Akobo this month. We express our deep regret with regard to the troops and personnel that have been caught in the crossfire of Government forces and rebels in the attempt to protect civilians and conduct civilian evacuations. I would like to assure the Council that the Government of South Sudan is doing as much as it can, under very difficult circumstances, to restore calm and stability to the affected areas in the country. Let me take this opportunity to express the Government’s deep appreciation for the proactive response that the Secretary-General and the Security Council are showing towards the situation that is unfolding tragically in our country and the urgent need to protect lives and alleviate the suffering of the people of South Sudan, as reflected in the decision to reinforce its Mission in South Sudan with protection forces. Additionally, we deeply appreciate the efforts of the African Union, the Intergovernmental Authority on Development Partners Forum and the United Nations calling on South Sudanese leaders to rise above ethnic divisions and offer a framework of peace, unity and reconciliation for the nation. That is indeed the spirit that our President reflected today in his powerful press statement, which called for an immediate end to violence, ethnic targeting and all illegal activities, and on Mr. Riek Machar and the forces supporting him to rise to the challenge of peace, unity and nation-building. Once again, we reiterate our deep appreciation for the support of the United Nations. We hope that, through our solidarity with the international community, we can overcome the crisis that the country is going through and reinvigorate the process of unity, nation-building and urgently needed socioeconomic development. We take note of the concerns raised by the Council and we take this opportunity to assure the Secretary- General and members of the Security Council of our determination to re-establish our sense of national unity and purpose and to reaffirm our deep-rooted commitment to the objectives of international peace and security and respect for fundamental human rights and humanitarian principles.