Gattuak Chiok Guek,
Opinion
May 17, 2014(Nyamilepedia) — Since the faked coup war began five months ago, a lot of things have gone unpredictably wrong under the United Nations protection, in particular under the supervision of the United Nations Mission in South Sudan or UNMISS. Nuer civilians who form the larger number of internally displaced persons (IDPs) were either agitated, kidnapped or dragged out from under the hands of UN troops and officials in Juba, and for the calmness of UN, this had led to the massacre of many Nuer civilians in Bor camp where the armed Dinka Bor youth and SPLA soldiers overpowered the unstable Indian peacekeepers unit, which form part of the UNMISS team who at first had down played the severity of the situation as well as the numbers of the Nuer civilians that had been butchered in Juba, something that was seen as fishy and was deemed as a lack of honesty from the UN whom had also refused the relocation of the trapped civilians in Juba, Bor, Malakal and Bhar el Ghazal region. The UN might truly think its brazen failure to intervene may not be challenged but that is untrue, because unarmed Nuer civilians are yet being abused and dragged out from their gates by Salva Kiir’s tiger guards.
United Nations is to communities, a global organization aimed to maintain peace and security, to safeguard basic human rights, provide humanitarian aid to hungry and displaced persons and to provide international law. Since its formation on 24 October 1945, UN has been working entirely to bring to end starvation, conflicts and diseases that are upsetting the human progress, however, in the case of South Sudan; UN has been unjust and really silly to the Nuer people who are largely locked inside UNMISS camps. The Living conditions; for example, for those who are stuck in Juba’s Tongping camp are described as ‘impossible living conditions’ by Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) on its official homepage on 5 February 2014. This is because infectious diseases spread quickly and high numbers of diarrhoeal diseases are an everyday thing due to the lack of clean water. More than 40,000 of IDPS are squeezed into two crowded camps and as a result of that the living conditions are believed to be unbearable, especially for newborn babies, young mothers, wounded, disabled and elderly persons, and too often the response of the UN for those trapped is so often far too little. The UN seems to be showing less care in term of providing humanitarian aid including food and medicines though the Nuer civilians are entitled.
Officials from the UNMISS were opposing to the then upraised number of Nuer civilians murdered in Juba genocide, for what reason one may ask, no one comprehends. Somewhere around December 15-20 over 7,000 unarmed Nuer civilians were systematically slaughtered by Salva Kiir’s armed tiger battalion, and instead the UN diplomats were quoted by BBC as saying on December 18 only 500 were killed. The UN was reluctant to disclose the full truth and attested that there was something shady happening because on those 5 straight days Nuer civilians were being targeted based on their ethnicities, and sufficient evidences of who were targeted were seen on those whom were chased into the UN camps, burned in their homes and the bodies that layed scattered down on the streets. Especially, when the directed ‘door to door’ operations were conducted in Nuer inhabited suburbs such as in Gudelo, Manga, and Khoor-William, and yet the UN were hesitant to report the correct figures until when the International Crisis Group suggested that 10,000 people may have died. Consequently, this was the unfairness of the UNMISS team.
Of course, the UN could provide protection to those lucky ones who made it to UNMISS compounds in South Sudan. However, there is some sort of criticism going around particularly from the IDPs as they claims that UN troops have failed to secure their safety. My trapped twin brothers, nephew, uncle and cousins in UN camps in Juba also see no freedom. Since December for instance, around 80 persons have gone missing and are presumed kidnapped by tiger guards from their gates in Juba and the UNMISS team has never reported any missing persons, it is perhaps the Salva Kiir’s bribery team may have reached officials inside, otherwise internally displaced persons who are registered under the UN protection cannot just disappear as such. Many uncounted numbers of civilians were evidently mistreated and lugged out from under the hands of UN troops in Juba, Bor, Bentiu and Malakal and that was an undisputed letdown.
Salva Kiir, the illegitimate president
Ban Ki-Moon and his team should not fear Salva Kiir for he has lost legitimacy due to his failure for unending this war that has displaced million, though his aides are backing him in instigating more bloodshed. Several civilians who lost their lives and some who are yet trapped were clearly because of him and his tiger guards. Kiir has also lost 80% of Upper Nile region where the oil is pumped out from, whereas 70% of his national army the SPLA are either defected or uncommitted to him. In addition, a great number of the invited foreign troops can be found everywhere in S. Sudan. The UN, EU, IGAD and Troika should not thus be blindfolded by Kiir as citizens have had enough of his actions that are dragging the country into further mayhem. Salva Kiir thus far deserves only isolation and condemnation for failed his own nation.
UNMISS’s Bor Camp massacre on 17 April 2014
On this tragic day, Nuer civilians were caught by surprise when the armed Dinka youth and SPLA soldiers stormed their base. Over 147 persons included children and women were suddenly shot dead along with some youths who tried to jump over the fences. What made this tragic disastrous was that the small Indian peacekeeping forces alleged to be only 30 men according Upper Nile Times was overwhelmingly chased away. Of course, this brutal attack on guiltless civilians could have been avoided if the UN troops were in their thousands. And to worsen the situation the UN officials until now did not disclosed the correct number of those perished. One would now wonder if this UN protection was meant for certain group.
Battles for Malakal
Opposition forces are often seen as victors but when they seized Malakal for the 2nd (Jan. 14) and 3rd rounds (Feb. 18) their actions were doomed by the UN and US despite the fact that Koch, Guit and Leer counties of Unity State were blazed by the SPLA and their allied forces when the signed ceasefire was already effective on January 23rd. The UN claims were largely against the guiltless white army who did not caused the destruction.
Not only that, unforgettable atrocities were also instigated by the SPLA in many parts of Upper Nile region. On December 20 for example, over 17 Nuer civilians and MPs included Bang Duop Lam who tried to escape death from Malakal to Ulang were intercepted and executed by the mixed SPLA soldiers and Dinka Ngok youth in Baliet, and also for more details refer to Daniel Wuor Jok paper summited on April 21 in SouthSudanNation.com. Within the same week over 75 Nuer venders, students and oil workers who got panicked by the Malakal ethnic targeting were denied access to UNMISS camp by General Nhial Batoang in Paloich and before they even tried to walk some 300 KM to Nasir, they were gunned down in bushlands.
Besides, another 300 Nuer families included children and wives of those defected soldiers from Wadekona and Kaka who were travelling along the Nile River by boat to Malakal on February 4 for search of UN protection were intercepted and burned to death in a place called Lul between Kodok and Malakal by the SPLA soldiers under the command of Gen. Johnson Oliny. On this particular incident there was only a sole survivor, a woman. Gerger is another scene of war crimes where over 300 civilians were brutally butchered on April 25 on its port by the same army only this time, under the order of Brig. Gen. Guot Akuei, and yet the UNMISS leadership under Hilde Johnson and Toby Lanzer had never mentioned nor condemned none of these shocking events perpetrated by the regime, but when the ferry capsized on the Nile prior to pro-Machar forces assault Malakal on February 18 it was condemned by the UN and world leaders included Salva Kiir himself only because the drowned major were Dinka civilians.
Last but not least, on May 9 a renewed truce inked by Salva Kiir and Machar was once again dishonoured. Government troops and their allied forces attacked Bentiu on May 10 making everyone wonder if Kiir is a man of peace. Ulang, Nasir and Ayod were before that torched in a time when rebels were committed to the signed Cessation of Hostilities and again the UN respond was negative. The only good thing UN does is condemning both sides for atrocities that were perpetrated by the mighty SPLA forces. Does this mean UN is not a friend of Nuer people, if not then it should consider the succeeding recommendations?
- Provide further security protection by deploying more of UN troops
- Provide adequate medicines and food including to those starving civilians in the rebels controlled areas by air dropping food.
- Provide land and war transports to relocate the trapped Nuer civilians in Juba, Bor, Malakal and Bhar el Ghazal region to Nuer-land
- UN should also condemn and order all foreign troops (UPDF, SPLM-N, JEM, etc.) to exit South Sudan for they are worsening the crisis.
Otherwise, the United Nations goals of consolidating peace and security, protecting human rights, providing humanitarian aid to starving and displaced persons and providing universal law to all global citizens would not be achieved if those Nuer civilians in Juba, Bor, Malakal and Bahr el Ghazal region are not served equally. The UNMISS should fairer its games by providing enough medicines and food. It should also learn not only to condemn rebels but also to quickly condemn the SPLA and its allied forces of JEM, SPLM-N and Uganda’s UPDF when they attack rebel positions as they are famous for violating Cessation of Hostilities. Otherwise, this UNMISS operating in South Sudan will be discredited if it only backing Salva Kiir and his infamous regime and turns its blind eyes on Nuer nation. Hilde Johnson and Toby Lanzer should thus fight hard on behalf of those victimised civilians locked in UN camps since war crimes, human right violations, atrocities and sexual extortion are being easily committed, and also to avoid criticism.
The author, Gattuak Chiok Guek, is a concern South Sudanese. He can be reached at zoal11@hotmail.com
