This Week in South Sudan – Week 36

Monday 5 September

• The Government of South Sudan (GOSS) announced that despite their acceptance of the additional UN peacekeeping force, important details of the troop deployment still needs to be worked out, such as the exact number and the nationality of UN peacekeepers.
  • Voice of America: “Some South Sudanese Want Restrictions on Troop Deployment”

Tuesday 6 September

• Foreign Policy: “Dinner, Drinks, and a Near-Fatal Ambush for U.S. Diplomats”

Wednesday 7 September

• Special Envoy for Sudan and South Sudan, Donald Booth, stated that Riek Machar should no longer try to return to his previous position in Juba. While Princeton N. Lyman, senior advisor to the U.S. President described the idea to cut off Machar from GOSS as an “illusion.”  The SPLM (IO) later dismissed US government remarks, suggesting Machar’s absence is hampering the peace process.
• The Joint Monitoring and Evaluation Commission secretariat (JMEC) returned to South Sudan after weeks of temporarily operating from Ethiopia.
• SPLA and SPLA (IO) clashed in Nasir town, Upper Nile State, according to a government source.
• The International Organization for Migration (IOM) said that humanitarian aid has been denied access in parts of South Sudan.
• The Enough Project: “Testimony of Brian Adeba – ‘The Growing Crisis in South Sudan’”

Thursday 8 September

• The UK is expanding its’ contribution to UNMISS with an additional deployment of 100 British troops, bringing the total number of British personnel up to around 400.
  • The Guardian: “The high-risk gamble of sending more British troops to South Sudan”
• The UN Stabilisation Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO) said it rescued some 300 SPLM (IO) troops on humanitarian grounds as the soldiers were in “extremely bad shape.”

Friday 9 September

• A confidential UN report, claim the July fighting in Juba was directed by the chief of staff with consent from the president, and that the South Sudanese leaders want a military solution to the conflict.
• A South Sudanese delegation led by the First Vice President, Taban Deng Gai, held talks with Ethiopian Prime minister, Hailemariam Desalegn, in Adddis Ababa, on a range of bilateral and regional issues.
• GOSS denied responsibility for the death of a civil society activist, Emmanuel Wani, who reportedly was killed in Juba by government operatives. The incident comes shortly after UNMISS condemned the harassment of activists who met with the UN Security Council delegation while in Juba.

Saturday 10 September

• There has been an increase in deadly roadside attacks by unknown gunmen along the Juba-Nimule highway.
• South Sudan’s Petroleum Minister, Ezekiel Lol Gatkuoth, said GOSS plans to establish a new oil facility in Palouch, Unity State in October.
• Al Jazeera: “The UN has failed its peacekeepers in South Sudan”
• The Washington Post: “Israel’s role in South Sudan under scrutiny amid violence”

Monday 12 September

• According to MONUSCO, the flight of more than 750 SPLA (IO) fighters and supporters to the DRC can pose a regional security threat if not properly handled.
• A new report by the Sentry reveals how South Sudan’s wealth and revenues are diverted towards the personal and institutional interests of elites. International media reports on the findings:
  • The Washington Post: “George Clooney and John Prendergast: War crimes shouldn’t pay in South Sudan”
  • Foreign Policy: “South Sudan’s Leaders Made War — and Many Millions of Dollars”
  • The Guardian: “George Clooney-backed report: South Sudan president profits from civil war”
  • Bloomberg: “Saving South Sudan From Its Founding Fathers”
  • BBC: “South Sudan’s Kiir and Machar profited during war – report”