The government of South Sudan has said her intelligence agency tapped the United Nations representative in the country, Hilde Johnson, talking to rebel leader, Dr. Riek Machar.
Written by Honeywell Dickens Okello
Special Representative Hilde Johnson (right) visits a hospital operated by the UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) © UNMISS/Juio Brathwaite
January 23, 2014 [Chimps] — The presidential spokesman, Ateny Wek, told reporters in Juba last evening that according to the tapped conversations, Johnson was communicating with Machar on a daily basis discussing military offensive uncharacteristic of her role that includes humanitarian issues or aid plans.
“We got them. It was a clear conversation saying that Riek and Gen. Gadet were going to attack Juba and IDPs (Internally Displaced Persons) would enter in and topple the government,” Ateny revealed.
The relationship between the two institutions got on the rocks when the SPLA with a foreign force and government officials tried to force themselves into a UN compound in the Jonglei capital of Bor over the weekend while armed and were stopped by the UN guards.
On Sunday, the office of UN Secretary General, Ban Ki-moon, issued a statement condemning the act and urged both parties to restrain from entering UN boundaries with guns.
On Monday, while addressing the nation, president Kiir said that UN is a “parallel government” operating alongside his government.
“I did not know that when the UNMISS was brought that it was brought as a parallel government” Kiir stated in his Monday address.
Sources told Chimpreports earlier as reported on Tuesday, that the government of South Sudan wants a complete overhaul of UN activities and start a fresh revision of status.
They suspect and have been accusing UN auxiliary body UNMISS of supporting the rebels who humiliated the SPLA in the early days of the war for three weeks up to when the Ugandan army entered the troubled world’s youngest nation.
Also the defection of former Jonglei State deputy governor, Hussein Mar from the UNMISS compound and flying to Addis Ababa as part of Machar’s peace delegation, did not go well with Kiir’s government, according to a source.
Efforts to get a comment from UNMISS was futile as our mail was not immediately replied.
