South Sudan Faces New Challenge — Ending Ethnic Violence
By Nigel Roberts
Published 4 hours ago
After fighting a bloody, protracted civil war to win independence from its northern neighbor, South Sudanese are turning on each other.
The internal conflict creates new difficulties for a government that already faces formidable obstacles.
Violent ethnic clashes between the Murle and Lou Nuer communities of Jonglei state have resulted in about 600 deaths and unconfirmed reports indicating that almost 1,000 people are wounded, according to a United Nations report.
U.S. Ambassador Susan Rice said the violence, displacement and casualties in Jonglei are disturbing. The United States is pleased, however, that the new government has condemned the hostilities and is promoting reconciliation between the two groups.
“The United States calls on the communities involved to exercise restraint and reduce tensions immediately,” she added.
U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon announced Friday that the U.N. Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) was sending troops and civilian experts to Jonglei to prevent further violence and to promote reconciliation. The U.N. Security Council created the peacekeeping mission following South Sudan’s independence from Sudan in July.
Hilde Johnson, the head of UNMISS and the secretary-general’s special representative for South Sudan, called for an end to “this cycle of violence.”
“We stand ready to support the government and state authorities with all their efforts to ensure peace and stability are restored,” Johnson said.
Johnson added that the mission deployed additional peacekeepers and roaming teams to Jonglei’s most vulnerable areas.
Meanwhile, the U.N. high commissioner for human rights, Navi Pillay, reported that the conflict led to the kidnapping of more than 200 children, the burning of more than 7,900 houses and the displacement of up to 26,000 people.
When South Sudan became the world’s newest nation following a referendum, everyone knew there would be bumps in the road to success. Johnson pointed to those challenges and pledged U.N. support.
“Only from a platform of peace can development progress follow,” she said. “The road ahead will not be easy, but I am confident that with the commitment of the new government we can and will build a better future for all people of South Sudan.”
Indeed, South Sudan can ill afford internal strife. The nation faces several formidable challenges. For one thing, it has one of the worst maternal mortality rates. Additionally, one out of every seven South Sudanese children dies before their fifth birthday. Female illiteracy exceeds 80 percent, and more than half of the children six to 13 years old are not receiving a formal education.
Rice stated, “While significant challenges remain for South Sudan as a newborn country, a nation born of conflict need not live in conflict.”
http://politic365.com/2011/08/31/south-sudan-faces-new-challenge-%E2%80%94-ending-ethnic-violence/
Author: Nigel Roberts
Nigel Roberts is the United Nations correspondent for Politic365. He has been a political, economic and international affairs reporter for more than a dozen years. Nigel also freelances in public relations and communications. He holds a master’s degree in Political Science/International Relations from the City University of New York Graduate School & University Center.
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