New York 23 August 2013
Good afternoon.
Following the deterioration of the situation in parts of Jonglei in South Sudan, I will read a press statement on behalf of the Security Council:
The members of the Security Council expressed grave concern over the increased occurrence of conflict and violence and its effect on civilians in South Sudan, in particular a marked deterioration in the security and humanitarian situation in parts of Jonglei. They strongly condemned attacks on civilians and the looting of UN and other international aid organizations’ facilitiesin Jonglei State, South Sudan. They deplored the fact that these attacks have caused large-scale displacements of the civilian population and called on the Government of South Sudan, which has primary responsibility to protect civilians,toexpeditesafe and unhindered humanitarian access for the timely and full delivery of humanitarian aid to all civilians in urgent need of assistance in accordance with relevant provisions of international law, including international humanitarian law and the United Nations guiding principles of humanitarian assistance, and provide full freedom of movement and unhindered access for the UN Mission in the Republic of South Sudan (UNMISS) to all of Jonglei State, and it noted recent signs of improvements in this regard.They called on all parties, including armed militias, to exercise restraint, refrain from any acts of violence against civilians, and fully respect their obligations under applicable international law, including human rights law and international humanitarian law.
They took note of the commitment of President Kiir to investigate and hold accountable those accused of committing violationsagainst civilians in Jonglei State, and, reiterated their deep concern at human rights violations and abuses by armed groups and by national security institutions, including somemembers of the SPLA, andemphasized that those responsible for any violations of international humanitarian law and violations and abuses of internationalhuman rights law must be held accountable. The members of the Security Council also underlined the need to address the underlying causes of inter-communal violence in South Sudan and urged all parties to seek peace through reconciliation, in this regard, the members of the Security Council recalled, subject to the requirements of international law, the July 9 renewed amnesty offer of the Republic of South Sudan toward relevant armed militias.
They recognized the important role of UNMISS in building local capacity and supporting peace-building efforts, and the importance of the Mission’s protection of civilians and provision of security in facilitation of humanitarian assistance in Jonglei. They condemned all attacks on UNMISS troops and staff and called for prompt and thorough investigation of these attacks, and demanded that there be no recurrence of such attacks or impunity for the perpetrators.