S/PV.8204 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/2018/221, which contains the text of a draft resolution submitted by the United States of America. I wish to draw the attention of Council members to S/2018/143, which contains a special report of the Secretary-General on the renewal of the mandate of the United Nations Mission in South Sudan, and document S/2018/163, containing the report of the Secretary- General on South Sudan (covering the period from 15 November 2017 to 16 February 2018). 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.

The draft resolution received 15 votes in favour. The draft resolution has been adopted unanimously as resolution 2406 (2018). Recalling the Security Council’s latest note 507 on its working methods (S/2017/507), I wish to encourage all participants, both members and non-members of the Council, to deliver their statements in five minutes or less to enable the Council to conduct its work expeditiously. I now give the floor to the representative of South Sudan.

Allow me to express my appreciation for the opportunity to address the members of the Security Council on an issue that is of utmost importance to my country. Despite the differences on some issues and the way in which the mandate is implemented, our continuous support for the renewal of the mandate of the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) is a clear indication of our appreciation for the work the Mission does in our country and a recognition of our shared objective of realizing peace in South Sudan. South Sudan therefore welcomes the renewal of the UNMISS mandate until 15 March 2019, during which time the Mission is asked to make several assessments. However, South Sudan would like to raise certain issues. It is unfortunate that the Council chooses to politicize the peacekeeping resolution. There is a need to bridge the discrepancy between the primary responsibility of the State and the complementary support of the international community — in this case, UNMISS. Although South Sudan is now violently divided between the Government and the opposition, it is important to remember that the leadership was elected by the people and represents the legitimacy of the Government and the sovereignty of the country. Although it is practical to be connected to both parties and to work on fostering national consensus, the United Nations should work in collaboration with the current Government to address the practical problems facing the country. It is one thing to condemn the leadership of the country and another to threaten the imposition of an arms embargo and sanctions, which, as I have repeatedly mentioned to the Council, would lead only to an adversarial relationship and aggravate the situation. It is worth reiterating that representatives of the international community visited South Sudan in the first place to support the country. Recent developments may indeed undermine the nature and magnitude of that support, but remedies can be found to restore a constructive basis for partnership in the stabilization and development of the country. It would be an ironic double jeopardy to punish a country already suffering from an acute crisis. My country’s position is that punitive actions and punishment are counterproductive. The only solution to the conflict in South Sudan is through a political process in which President Salva Kiir Mayardit has continued to play an active role and made numerous compromises. The situation calls for cooperation as opposed to confrontation and threats of punitive actions, including the imposition of an arms embargo and sanctions. Therefore, we believe that it would be appropriate for UNMISS and the United Nations country team to meet with the relevant authorities in the Government to discuss and develop a strategy on the most constructive way to address the crisis and concurrently use their mutual strategic understanding as a basis for reaching out to the armed opposition. The mischaracterization of the conflict in South Sudan has helped to fuel it. The conflict in South Sudan is political in nature, not ethnic. Every woman, child and man in South Sudan has been affected by the conflict in one way or another and everyone has a heartfelt story to tell. Therefore, alarming statements and reports of genocide instil fear, panic and despair, causing communities to flee, as witnessed in the aftermath of Adama Dieng’s unfounded report. Furthermore, the continuous use of moral equivalence has emboldened other armed groups to act in an irresponsible manner, knowing that there will be collective blame and punishment. It is important to pinpoint who violates the law and where and when it is done in a timely manner. As we have seen in some cases in South Sudan, internally displaced persons and refugees seeking shelter after displacement have often been exposed to further abuse and their wide-ranging subsistence needs are not met due to various constraints. We therefore welcome the Secretary-General’s commitment to strictly enforcing his zero-tolerance policy on sexual exploitation and abuse. We also welcome the call on UNMISS to contribute to the safe, voluntary and dignified return of internally displaced persons and refugees to their homes so that they may resume their livelihoods. South Sudan has taken steps to address some of the issues outlined in resolution 2406 (2018). There is an ongoing judicial process to address the Terrain Hotel incident in an open and transparent manner. The Government has also taken steps with regard to fees and taxes on non-governmental organizations and humanitarian agencies. It is essential that such efforts be acknowledged as a step in the right direction. The Government further commits to making changes as appropriate and to bettering the relationship. I would like to reiterate my Government’s position that punitive actions and punishment are counterproductive. In conclusion, we express our gratitude to the Council members who sought our views during negotiations.