Thank you, Madam President. I’d like to thank SRSG Shearer
and Mr Yakani for their briefings today. I also wish to
convey the United Kingdom’s gratitude for the work that
UNMISS continues to do under immensely challenging
circumstances.
In March, this Council unanimously commended the South
Sudanese parties for demonstrating leadership. The
formation of the revitalised transitional government of
national unity was a significant moment in South Sudan’s
short history, and it gave the people of South Sudan
renewed hope for a brighter future.
But in the past three months, the world has changed.
COVID-19 has affected all of us. South Sudan is no
different. COVID-19 has already had an impact on lives
across South Sudan, from the highest levels of government
to ordinary men, women and children. And UNMISS has been
affected, too, including through the sad death of a
civilian staff member.
It’s important the measures taken to limit the spread of
the virus allow lifesaving services to continue. And we are
particularly concerned by the risks COVID-19 poses to those
who have been made more vulnerable by forced displacement,
including those living in Protection of Civilian sites. And
we thank UNMISS and all humanitarian actors on the ground
for their efforts to mitigate these risks and hope that the
South Sudanese authorities will make every effort to work
with partners on preventing the spread of the disease,
protect health care workers and enable humanitarian access.
COVID-19 also poses obvious risks to the health and safety
of peacekeeping personnel. And we hope the Secretariat will
continue taking all necessary steps to assure medical and
casualty evacuation arrangements for all personnel as part
of ensuring that UNMISS can keep delivering its mandate.
Madam President, the United Kingdom is deeply concerned at
recent increases in violent conflict. Since the beginning
of the year thousands of South Sudanese have been killed or
injured in hundreds of separate incidents of serious
violence, including most recently in Jonglei states in May.
I note that among those killed in Jonglei were three NGO
staff - underscoring once again the dangers humanitarian
personnel face as they go about that life-saving work in
South Sudan.
The violence in the Equatorias stemming from the breakdown
of the ceasefire has killed and displaced hundreds more.
There have been shocking reports of sexual violence carried
out by forces on all sides. And this has a critical role to
play, of course, in reducing these conflicts and mitigating
the impact, including through facilitation of community
dialogue and patrolling hotspots. But COVID-19 is
inevitably affecting the mission’s ability to carry out
these vital tasks.
So, Madam President, it is therefore all the more urgent
for the transitional government to expedite implementation
of the peace agreement, even if that means confronting a
series of difficult decisions. The delay in appointing
state governors, for example, has created avoidable power
vacuums which have exacerbated subnational tensions and
fuelled violence. The United Kingdom urges the Unity
Government to redouble its efforts to make progress on the
transitional security arrangements, strengthen its
messaging to counter hate speech, misinformation and
incitement to violence, and tackle impunity through
enhanced accountability to sexual and gender based crimes.
Madam President, the United Kingdom remains committed to
South Sudan. In March, I said, “now the hard work begins”.
Three months on, much of that hard work remains to be done.
The longer the parties delay, the harder it will become.
Full and prompt implementation of the peace agreement by
leaders working together in genuine unity with the best
interests of their people at heart remains the best hope
for South Sudan and its people in these uniquely
challenging times.
Thank you, Madam President.
