Statement of H.E. James Wani Igga at the 70th Session of the United Nations General
6 min readTHE REPUBLIC OF SOUTH SUDAN
Statement of H.E. James Wani Igga
Vice President of the Republic of the Republic of South Sudan
At the 70th Session of the United Nations General Assembly,
1 October 2015, New York, USA
Mr. President,
Your Excellencies,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
October 2, 2015 (SSB) — I would like to express sincere gratitude for the pivotal role the United Nations alongside many friends have played before, during and after the birth of our country South Sudan in July 2011. First and foremost, this noble world body and its able leadership must be strongly appreciated for vehemently supporting this independence. We vividly remember the three days the UN SG spent dedicating himself to lecturing and advising us in Juba as independence neared. Congratulations Your Excellency Ban Ki-moon.
Having gone through so much for too long, the people of South Sudan’s dream, aspiration and vision of a country of their own was eventually realized on July 9th 2011, with strong support from IGAD, UN, and the Troika. Almost one week thereafter, in this great hall, this esteemed and dignified body, the United Nations, took an extra rare measure in history and endorsed the noble Independence. We vehemently thank the United Nations.
Having attained freedom for our country and its people, we the leaders wasted no time in pushing forward with the creation of institutions of good governance and democratic exercise. Actually we started virtually from rubble. However, our progress has been thwarted and marred by unjustified internal power feuds that resulted in a regrettable conflict engulfing three of our ten states (provinces) in the country.
Your Excellencies,
It is my pleasure and relief to announce to you and this august gathering that this regrettable war and uncalled-for bloodshed has been ended. The people of South Sudan were yearning for peace and our President took the courageous step with the help of IGAD, the Troika, China, Russia, the eminent United Nations, and so on, to sign on 26 August 2015 a Peace Agreement with the rebel leadership to silence the guns and end the war. This signature was immediately followed by the President’s declaration of Permanent Ceasefire in the following day. We must congratulate our people for this historic achievement of peace. I am sure it will be cemented by prosperity and happiness.
We give credit to our neighbors and the international community at large. The next step now is for this August body to quickly join and help us both in terms of humanitarian assistance and reconstruction as we vow to implement the agreement.
Your Excellencies,
South Sudan is concerned about the global and regional peace, security, and adherence to human rights. Though we have been tied down by our own difficulties, we are also mindful of our participation in the global and regional strategies aimed at tackling threats of terrorism and the like.
I commend the role the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) has played during the period leading up to our declaration of independence in 2011 and afterwards. Nonetheless, any renewal of the UNMISS mandate without consultations and consent of our government is not right and unacceptable. It is a well-known fact that matters of this nature are sovereign and due consultation is imperative.
Ladies and gentlemen,
Peace and security of the people of South Sudan have been the paramount responsibility of the government. Committing crimes against the people we govern or violation of human rights have never and shall never be condoned by our government. Promoting and protecting the safety of persons, family and community and their physical and social wellbeing is a duty that we take more seriously. We will not allow impunity to reign.
We are conscious of our obligations to humanity and do respect the Human Rights Charter as contained in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and related protocols. We respect the content and provisions of the Geneva Conventions and we vow to toughly observe and apply them in our difficult and complex context.
Since our independence, whenever we received reports of human rights abuses by elements associated with our security institutions, we have often investigated and immediately dealt with them in accordance with the law.
Your Excellencies, we are full of joy to announce that through the efforts exerted by the esteemed IGAD alongside the Troika, Russia, China and many other people of good will, we have signed on 26/8/2015 an historic accord with our brothers, the rebels. The following day H.E. President Salva Kiir Mayardit declared the Permanent Cease Fire. This Cease Fire is surely holding in certain parts of the country but not in all. This is mainly attributed to the absence of a Joint Monitoring and Verification Mechanism installed on the ground.
I urged IGAD to speed up creating and designating this vital instrument for enforcing any meaningful cease-fire. On the Security Arrangements, from 13-18 September, the warring parties held a workshop which ended by our government delegation signing the minutes, but our brothers, the rebels, declined from signing for reasons best known to them. It is now incumbent upon the IGAD-Plus to persuade them using all possible means.
A further proof that our government is committed to this Agreement is the announcement by the SPLA (government Army) about a week ago, to move out of Juba to the radius of 25 km away. This is a clear demonstration of the government’s will to execute the Accord. As the SPLA is already on the redeployment motion, the international community needs to expeditiously come in with the necessary funding to help install new army barracks in those forests.
Ladies and gentlemen,
As we embark on the implementation of the peace Agreement, sanctions and travel restrictions on our officials should no longer be the option. And at this juncture, I urge all countries of good will to rush in with humanitarian, resettlement as well as development projects. There is no doubt that development and prosperity can quickly lead to cementing peace and stability.
It is thus, mandatory upon the government of South Sudan to remind the international donors about the many pledges they have made even earlier but were never delivered. More than any other time in our conflict riddled history, the upcoming post-conflict imperatives of resettlement, rehabilitation, and disarmament require concerted financial and technical intervention from our many good friends around the world. Honoring the numerous pledges made in fora such as, in Oslo (2005 and 2014) and the International Engagement Conference hosted by the sisterly United States in 2011, will go a long way in enabling the full implementation of the current peace agreement in terms of meeting a pressing need for humanitarian aid and post-conflict reconstruction.
Your Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen,
In conclusion, we are solidly determined to correct the past and look forward to the future. I seize this opportunity to appeal to all friends and supporters of South Sudan to rapidly step in to back up the process of humanitarian assistance, rehabilitation, peace building and national reconstruction.
South Sudan is very resilient and its future is certainly full of hope particularly with all your assistance and cooperation, but it should not be subjected to undeserved isolation and sanctions, given its level of fragility as a new country.
Thank you very much.
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