UNMISS | United Nations Mission in South Sudan



Good afternoon. It is one o’clock and I’m Susan Dokolo

The Headlines:

• UN Security Council adopts a system to impose sanctions on South Sudan

• Four civilians including a chief killed in Abyei attack

• Authorities recover cattle raided from Cueibet County in Lakes State

The United Nations Security Council has unanimously agreed on steps to enforce sanctions if leaders in fail to achieve peace soon.

President Salva Kiir and opposition leader Riek Machar are in Addis Ababa Ethiopia meeting to finalize a peace deal before tomorrow’s IGAD imposed deadline.

Miraya’s Reech Malual has more in the following report.

Reech Malual: “As the 5 March deadline set by the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) approaches, the UN Security Council yesterday passed a unanimous Resolution 2206 – a resolution setting up a system to impose sanctions on South Sudan in the hope that it will press leaders to end the conflict. The UN Security council held a vote yesterday agreeing on a one year asset freeze and travel ban on any leaders involved in the conflict.”

 

The United States ambassador to the UN Samantha Power says they opted for sanctions as South Sudan leaders are not working in the national interest.

Liu Jieyi, China's permanent representative to the UN, says that his countries vote was to urge the leaders to work towards lasting peace as soon as possible.

Speaking at the Security Council meeting, he said he hopes resolution 2206 will truly help achieve those goals

Meanwhile Ambassador Francis Mading Deng of South Sudan says sanctions harden rather than help the situation.

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki Moon says both parties can avoid actual sanctions by the Security Council, if they strictly adhere to the Cessation of Hostilities agreement of 23 January 2014, fully comply with International Human Rights and Humanitarian Law, extend their full cooperation to United Nations and humanitarian personnel in the discharge of their mandates and duties, and conclude a Comprehensive Peace Agreement that places South Sudan back on the path to stability and prosperity.

The resolutions state that the Security Council will review their position after the passing of the 5 March IGAD deadline to sign a lasting peace deal between the leaders. I am Reech Malual, reporting for Radio Miraya news.”

Four civilians including a chief were killed in an attack on Marial Achiak village, east of Abyei.

More than 30 houses were burned and the attackers abducted eight people, among them a 10-year old child.

The co-chair of the Abyei Oversight Committee, Deng Madinq claims a group allied to the Sudanese armed forces attacked the village. He accused UN forces of failing to protect civilians.

Deng Madinq: “We furthermore draw the attention of the international community, especially the UN and AU, to wake up and remind themselves of the UN Resolution 2046 which calls for the unconditional withdrawal of unauthorized armed forces for Abyei area. The resolution was executed by the government of South Sudan which has totally withdrawn all its forces from the area since 2012 whereas the SAF maintains its presence in the Area in a clear violation to this resolution.”

The UN Spokesman Stephane Dujarric said at a press conference in New York yesterday, the UN Interim Security Force for Abyei (UNISFA) launched patrols to engage the attackers, which they encountered near the town of Shegag.

A UNISFA patrol also detained four unarmed Misseriya men who were captured while moving from the general direction of the incident. 

The South Sudanese Network for Democracy and Elections has urged The President and Dr. Riek Machar to sign a lasting peace agreement as soon as possible.

The Executive Director of the organization, Ijjo Elias Odego, says the leaders should work in the national interest.

Ijjo Elias Odego: “Without peace nothing can be done in any country, all the countries developing the have a lot of development programme, they are peace and everything they do is exercised in a democratic manor ,this is what will create development in the country but without peace it will very difficult for us to move an inch in any sector .We may not have a better schools ,we may not have better medical facilities and it will even be difficult for us to have better roads but if we need these ,there is need for peace to make this happen.”

Some of the cattle raided from Cueibet County in Lakes state on Monday have been recovered by authorities.

Cattle owners from the Ngap cattle camp say raiders killed five people in the attack and stole 250 head of cattle

The Commissioner of Cueibet County, Isaac Mayom Malek, says police are still pursuing the attackers.

Roll clip……………………Isaac Mayom Malek 4

“Some group from Duony payam of Cueibet County had raided cattle from Rumbek Centre at place called Ngap. Now we are collecting the cattle with community police, chiefs and operation police. The ringleaders – we did not find them. They run away. We are now proceeding to where they headed to, where they have gone. We are going after them to collect back to cattle to their owner.”

The Minister of Labor, Public Service and Human Resource development in Northern Bahr el Ghazal State, has said that more than 800 vacant posts have been created for qualified youth in the state. 

Luol Mawien Dut says that a ministerial committee has been formed to recruit university graduates and secondary school certificate holders for 864 posts in different government institutions.

Dut urged all qualified youth to come to the state and apply for the announced vacancies.

Lual Mawien Dut: “I call upon the young people from the state who are outside the state that we have vacancies and that the committee is working and there are advertisements. People should come and apply if they have not got jobs where they are. The second thing is that I want to direct the youth in particular and our employees in the state to unite and leave political differences because political divisions will not take us forward.”

The Minster for Labour, Public Service and Human Resource in Central Equatoria State says the country is struggling to implement labor laws that reserve specific jobs for South Sudanese workers.  

Lilly Kapuki Paul says her ministry is still working with laws inherited from Sudan while they wait for parliament to approve local laws.

She says however, despite clear regulations on the hiring of foreign workers, these laws have been difficult to implement.

Lily Akol: “The problem here is enforcement, the institutions are very weak. Also there is resistance to implement the law by our own nationals and even foreigners. Because if you come to the labor laws, it’s really clear that everyone who is working, they know exactly which jobs are international, which jobs are regional and which ones should be carried out by the national staff. Instead people are coming with their businesses, including their workforce, including cleaners. So this one now the government finds very challenging.”

The Minister of Local government and Law Enforcement in Western Equatoria State says the road from Iba County to Moruka is being serviced for the first time in 40 years.   

Daniel Zingifuaboro says the project is part of the LOGOSEED program, a Local Governance and Services Delivery Project which generates community building programs that also create local employment

Daniel Zingifauboro: “The road has really picked an interest. There is a local road from Iba County down to Moruka that road has not been serviced for the last 30 to 40 years. This road now is actually being cleared by the people of Moruka themselves and by the people of Iba County. It was their choice and that choice was accepted and they are getting the benefits from that investment as labourers. People just happy, thinking this is what we wanted we now have and it is us now working on it. And now we can be through the investment be able to develop ourselves sent our kids to schools pay some money and also put some food on the table for our kids. The community is really benefiting.”

The LOGOSEED project was first launched in Upper Nile and Jonglei states in 2013 and is now being implemented in 10 counties in Lakes, Western Equatoria, Warrap and Eastern Equatoria states.

In regional news, Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta has set fire to 15 tonnes of elephant ivory as part of the East African nation's efforts to curb poaching.

Media reports say the ivory, with a black market value of $30m, is the largest consignment to be destroyed in Kenya.

Elephant ivory is often smuggled to Asia for use in ornaments.

To end the news, here are the headlines once again:

• UN Security Council adopts a system to impose sanctions on South Sudan

• Four civilians including a chief killed in Abyei attack

• Authorities recover cattle raided from Cueibet County in Lakes State

End of Radio Miraya news. I am Susan Dokolo.

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