Hilde F. Johnson: In South Sudan, Old Feuds Test a New State

An escalation of intercommunal violence has tested the resolve of South Sudan, the world’s newest country, and that of the United Nations peacekeeping mission in South Sudan, UNMISS.

Extensive patrols by UNMISS over the past three weeks have not found the “trail of corpses” stretching “miles into the bush,” as alleged in some press reports. Parallels drawn to the genocide in Rwanda have been misleading with regard to the unfolding events and do not apply to the U.N.’s response.

Unfortunately, we have confirmed dozens of civilians killed in Pibor County. No matter the numbers, this is a human tragedy and a heavy emotional burden for all of us who have responsibility to maintain peace. The U.N. Security Council placed the highest priority on protection of civilians when it established UNMISS on July 8. And even when information is fragmented and difficult to piece together, truthful accounts of events are important.

In late December, UNMISS air patrols detected a column of nearly 8,000 armed Lou Nuer youths trekking toward Pibor County, the remote heartland of South Sudan’s Murle ethnic community in Jonglei State. Their stated aim was to take reprisals for Murle attacks on Lou Nuer communities in August that left up to 600 dead and hundreds injured. Lou Nuer and Murle hostilities date back decades, arising from competition for scarce resources and the decades-long civil war.

To address the immediate threat, the mission warned the South Sudan government of the impending attack and moved about half of its 2,100 combat-ready personnel to the population centers in the state.

The mission also gave early warning to tens of thousands of local residents. As a result, many were able to move away from towns and villages ahead of the Lou Nuer’s advance. The presence of an UNMISS battalion alongside units of South Sudan’s army (SPLA), established a defensive perimeter around much of the town of Pibor, largely shielding its population from the Lou Nuer raiders.

The peacekeepers were vastly outnumbered by the Lou Nuer marauders. Still, the SPLA and the effective positioning of the U.N. peacekeepers helped halt them from overrunning Pibor.

The Security Council commended these actions by UNMISS. Not every civilian was saved, but a much greater loss of life was averted.

Prior to the crisis, the mission had worked closely with the government in trying to prevent anticipated clashes and protecting civilians through military deterrence and active political engagement. But all violent attacks could not be prevented.

The long-standing conflict between the Lou Nuer and the Murle is far from over. In a bid to limit the damage from retaliatory Murle strikes into Lou Nuer strongholds in Jonglei, UNMISS troops have been redeployed to key locations where thousands of civilians are located.

Sadly, the chain of retaliatory violence continues unbroken, the latest target being the Dinka village of Duk Padiet, attacked on Jan. 16. The mission and the government are continuing their efforts to secure a cessation of hostilities, facilitate durable reconciliation and address the root causes of the conflict.

There are two larger lessons to be learned from the ongoing Jonglei crisis.

First, there is a need for effective government action to strengthen security presence in potential flashpoints, get the peace process off the ground, bring to justice those responsible for the attacks and establish programs that address the grievances of the communities.

Second, the United Nations and its members need to act with greater urgency in deploying the full strength of UNMISS troops to South Sudan so that the mission can exercise its mandate to the full in support of the government’s protection efforts.

The U.N. Security Council authorized a military personnel strength of 7,000, but only about 5,100 soldiers are in the country at present. Less than half of these are available for immediate deployment to the field.

UNMISS must be provided with resources and capabilities that match its mandate. Members of the Security Council expressed concern about the shortage of aircraft hampering UNMISS operations as the violence in Jonglei spiraled out of control. This lack of air assets impacts all.

The government of South Sudan has the political will to protect its citizens, but it is constrained by weak capacity in terms of rule of law, security infrastructure and assets. UNMISS, on the other hand, has a limited number of troops acting in a country where Jonglei alone is the size of Bangladesh. The difficulties of protecting civilians in this situation cannot be underestimated.

Despite these challenges, neither the U.N. mission nor the government were standing idly by during the latest crisis. Decisive action was taken to protect civilians. It is in this spirit that the mission will continue to exercise its mandate.

Hilde F. Johnson is the special representative of the United Nations secretary-general in South Sudan.

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/30/opinion/30iht-edjohnson30.html?_r=1