South Sudan statistics are troubling, Washington tells UN briefing

US Deputy Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Michele Sison, has pointed out a number of worrying statistics on the situation in South Sudan and Sudan at a UN Security Council Briefing on UN Peacekeeping Operations.

“Two thousand, eight hundred. That is the average number of South Sudanese fleeing to neighbouring countries each day,” Sison said at Thursday’s briefing according to a US State Department press release.

“Ninety. That is the number of incidents and restrictions to delivery of humanitarian assistance reported for the month of April, and the highest such number of any month this year to date.

“One hundred. That is the number of aid workers forced to relocate during the month of April 2017 as a result of active hostilities,” said Sison.

“Eighty four. That is the total number of aid workers killed in South Sudan since the beginning of the conflict – 17 this year alone – making South Sudan the most dangerous place in the world to be a humanitarian worker.

“Unknown is the number of women and girls who have been raped this year as part of this senseless war, or as a so-called ‘tax,’ as they say, for leaving the country to seek refuge,” she added.

“The government announced a unilateral ceasefire on May 22, two months after it promised the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) it would do so, and only after pursuing offensives in multiple locations in South Sudan before the onset of the rainy season.

“We have also seen no end to the obstacles and threats the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) faces when carrying out its mandate, including most recently during violence on the west bank of the Nile River when trying to access vulnerable populations and during the attack SRSG Shearer just briefed us on, on the UNMISS base in Leer this month.

“UNMISS needs access when civilians are in need of protection and not just once the fighting has stopped and all the civilians have fled. From this, we can only conclude that the parties continue to have no intention of taking seriously the steps outlined in the Council’s March 23 Presidential Statement.

“We condemn the recent military campaigns by South Sudanese government forces, designed to disproportionately retaliate along ethnic lines and seize territory to gain a strategic advantage.

“We also deplore the violence instigated by those in opposition, which only exacerbates the situation further and perpetuates this vicious cycle.

“Once again, we call on all parties to stop the violence, return to the negotiating table, and allow UNMISS and humanitarian aid organisations unhindered access,” the ambassador urged.