South Sudan calls for capacity building part of extended UN mandate – Xinhua

JUBA, March 17 (Xinhua) — South Sudan said on Wednesday the recently extended mandate of the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) should have included capacity building besides focusing on peacekeeping and protection.

“The government wanted the mandate of UNMISS to be adjusted so that apart from protection, implementation of the peace agreement and human rights reporting, the UN should help in constitutional and capacity building at both national and state levels,” Deng Dau Deng, deputy minister of foreign affairs and international cooperation, told Xinhua in Juba.

He said the UNMISS mandate extended last week by the UN Security Council (UNSC) until March 2022, should have also prioritized strengthening institutions and capacity building at national and local levels.

The resolution adopted by the 15-member council also decided that the mission’s mandate is designed to advance a three-year strategic vision to prevent a return to civil war, build a durable peace, and support inclusive and accountable governance as well as free, fair and peaceful elections.

It added that the mandate shall include the protection of civilians under threat of physical violence, with specific protection for women and children.

However, Deng observed that the mission’s mandate should have also focused on infrastructure development.

“We also wanted the mandate of the UN to incorporate infrastructure development because these are some of the key issues we had wanted to see,” he said.

“South Sudan has been advocating for UNMISS to return to the original mandate of 2011, but they have insisted to continue their mandate focusing on the issues of human rights, protection and humanitarian access which is a little bit of disappointment,” added Deng.

South Sudan descended into conflict in December 2013 after political disagreement between President Salva Kiir and his then deputy Riek Machar, leading to split in the army that led to the death of tens of thousands and displacement of millions of people both internally and externally. Enditem