The South Sudan Thread

UN SECURITY COUNCIL IN WAR-TORN S.SUDAN TO PUSH FOR PEACE

UN Security Council ambassadors landed in war-torn South Sudan Tuesday in a bid to end eight months of conflict that has pushed the young nation to the brink of famine.

Thousands of people have been killed and over 1.5 million have fled almost eight months of carnage, sparked by a power struggle between President Salva Kiir and his sacked deputy Riek Machar, with battles between government troops, mutinous soldiers and ragtag militia forces divided by tribe.

British Ambassador Mark Lyall Grant said the visit was to "engage with leaders" and witness "the humanitarian crisis first hand".

The ambassadors are due to meet with Kiir as part of their two-day visit to the world's youngest nation.

The UN Security Council last week threatened to slap sanctions on leaders if fighting continues.

"The actions of President Salva Kiir and former vice president Riek Machar in continuing to pursue a military solution to this conflict are unacceptable," said the 15-member council on Friday.

The UN has said the food crisis is the "worst in the world", with aid workers warning of famine within weeks if conflict continues.

US Secretary of State John Kerry on Monday accused both sides of failing to commit to the peace process, a day after missing a key deadline to forge a unity government.

"This is an outrage and an insult to the people of South Sudan," Kerry said.

"Their leaders are letting them down again and again. Peace talks have been on-going in Ethiopia for six months, while the people of South Sudan continue to suffer and the war persists."

Stop-start peace talks which began in January officially restarted again last week in Ethiopia, but the delegates have made little if any progress.

Heavy fighting was reported Sunday around the eastern town of Nasir in Jonglei state, a former rebel headquarters wrested back by the government last month.

Both government and rebels blamed the other for the fighting.


Source : Sapa-AFP /lk
Date : 12 Aug 2014 10:28
 
HEAVY FIGHTING IN SOUTH SUDAN AMID SANCTIONS WARNINGS

South Sudan's civil war entered its ninth month Friday with rebels and government troops engaged in heavy battles, diplomats said, days after UN warnings of sanctions if the conflict continues.

Fighting was reported around the town of Bentiu, capital of the northern oil state of Unity, as well as in Jonglei state.

Rebel spokesman Lul Ruai Koang claimed it was the start of a "long awaited government offensive", reporting clashes to the east and south of Bentiu.

He also said there was fighting in the remote village of Ayod in the eastern Jonglei state, one of the areas hardest hit by a growing hunger crisis.

Aid workers also reported heavy shooting around Bentiu.

The army was not immediately available for comment.

The British ambassador in Juba, Ian Hughes, said the reports of fighting was "disappointing", coming just three days after UN Security Council envoys warned both the government and rebel leaders of "consequences" on a visit to the troubled nation.

"The situation there is desperate enough already," Hughes said. "Leaders need to control their fighters."

UN envoys met with President Salva Kiir in Juba and also spoke with rebel chief Riek Machar, urging them to stick to peace after three failed ceasefire deals.

Thousands of people have been killed and more than 1.5 million have fled civil war sparked by a power struggle between Kiir and his sacked deputy Machar, with battles between government troops, mutinous soldiers and ragtag militia forces divided by tribe.

The United Nations has said the food crisis is the "worst in the world", with aid workers warning of famine within weeks if conflict continues.

The United States and the European Union have already imposed penalties on three senior South Sudanese army commanders from the government and opposition, while nations in the regional bloc IGAD have suggested they could follow suit if progress was not made.

East African leaders from the Intergovernmental Authority on Development are due to hold talks at the weekend in the Ethiopian capital to discuss the war in South Sudan.


Source : Sapa-AFP /kd
Date : 15 Aug 2014 09:19
 
CHILDREN AGAIN USED AS SOLDIERS IN SOUTH SUDAN, HRW SAYS

The number of children recruited as soldiers in South Sudan is on the rise, reversing an earlier decline in the ranks of minors in the conflict-struck country, Human Rights Watch stated Wednesday.

The use of child soldiers in the army had been reduced after the government promised the United Nations it would do so. That was in March 2012, eight months after South Sudan gained independence from Sudan following a decades-long civil war.

But a new conflict between government and rebel troops has now led to both sides recruiting children as soldiers, HRW said.

The conflict between President Salva Kiir and his former deputy Riek Machar has killed tens of thousands and displaced more than 1 million people since mid-December.

HRW quoted witnesses as saying they had seen dozens of children in army uniform in Bentiu and Rubkona in the north. The boys were armed with assault rifles and fired on rebel positions. Some of them were as young as 12.

Government officials admitted to the human rights group the army included children under 18, but said they had come to the military looking for protection and work.

Rebel forces have also forcibly recruited hundreds of children from schools in Bentiu and Rubkona, HRW quoted witnesses as saying.

Use of children as soldiers is illegal both under South Sudanese and international war law.


Source : Sapa-dpa /nsm
Date : 20 Aug 2014 12:21
 
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