Unifeed
SOUTH SUDAN/ HILDE JOHNSON
STORY: SOUTH SUDAN / HILDE JOHNSON
TRT: 2:19
SOURCE: UNMISS
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH
SHOTLIST: 8 JULY 2014, JUBA, SOUTH SUDAN
1. Wide shot, Hilde Johnson talking to the press at Juba Airport
2. Med shot, journalists
3. Back shot, press conference
4. SOUNDBITE (English) Hilde Johnson, outgoing Special Representative of the Secretary-General for South Sudan, United Nations:
“To the leadership of the SPLM, whichever faction you belong to - you are all responsible for this crisis, collectively. What happened on December 15 and onwards could have been prevented. What preceded the crisis was very risky, and – as some of us warned that it could lead to ethnic violence.”
5. Wide back shot, press conference
6. SOUNDBITE (English) Hilde Johnson, outgoing Special Representative of the Secretary-General for South Sudan, United Nations:
“As the people of South Sudan prepare to celebrate the third anniversary of their nation’s independence tomorrow, they see a country that is now at grave risk, not only of fighting, but also of failing.”
6. Med shot, journalists
7. Wide shot, journalists
8. SOUNDBITE (English) Hilde Johnson, outgoing Special Representative of the Secretary-General for South Sudan, United Nations:
“South Sudan has been afflicted by three diseases since 2005: (i) the cancer of corruption – with the oil becoming a curse rather than a blessing, (ii) rule by the gun and not by the law, with impunity among security forces and services, and (iii) rule by a self-serving elite, - for the elite, and much less for the people.”
9. Med shot, Hilde and journalists
10. SOUNDBITE (English) Hilde Johnson, outgoing Special Representative of the Secretary-General for South Sudan, United Nations:
“The IGAD peace talks should therefore not only be about finding ways to stop the fighting. This is about more fundamental issues. South Sudan as a country is at stake. That is also why South Sudanese from all walks of life should have a say in the peace process.”
11. Wide shot, Hilde Johnson press conference
The United Nations (UN) special representative for South Sudan said an end to the fighting would not by itself provide an adequate solution to the country’s crisis.
Speaking to media today (8 July) shortly before departing the country at the end of her three-year tenure as head of the peacekeeping mission, Hilde Johnson said South Sudan as a country was at stake, and said that its leaders, were collectively responsible for the ongoing crisis.
“To the leadership of the SPLM, whichever faction you belong to - you are all responsible for this crisis, collectively. What happened on December 15 and onwards could have been prevented. What preceded the crisis was very risky, and – as some of us warned that it could lead to ethnic violence,” she said.
Ms Johnson’s departure comes on the eve of the country’s third Independence Day celebrations. Three years ago, South Sudan marked its independence which was achieved after a referendum, resulting to its split from Sudan.
“As the people of South Sudan prepare to celebrate the third anniversary of their nation’s independence tomorrow, they see a country that is now at grave risk, not only of fighting, but also of failing,” she said.
The outgoing SRSG said that South Sudan was afflicted by “three diseases” which would have to be contained to save it from becoming a failed state. “The problems did not start on 15 December,” she said, referring to the outbreak of the crisis late last year.
“South Sudan has been afflicted by three diseases since 2005: (i) the cancer of corruption – with the oil becoming a curse rather than a blessing, (ii) rule by the gun and not by the law, with impunity among security forces and services, and (iii) rule by a self-serving elite, - for the elite, and much less for the people,” she said.
Ms Johnson said that South Sudan needed fundamental reforms and a complete overhaul of key state institutions, saying that the ongoing peace negotiations “should not be about finding band-aid solutions that allow things to continue in the same way, with only minor changes.
Calling for greater transparency, reforms in the justice sector and accountability, the SRSG also noted that it is vital for South Sudanese from “all walks of life” to have a say in the peace process.
“The IGAD peace talks should therefore not only be about finding ways to stop the fighting. This is about more fundamental issues. South Sudan as a country is at stake. That is also why South Sudanese from all walks of life should have a say in the peace process,” she said.
Ms Johnson attributed the conflict, which she described as a “hurricane”, to a crisis of leadership within the ruling party, the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM).
The “man-made” violence, had set back the country decades, led to the loss of thousands of lives and displacement of hundreds of thousands of people into UNMISS bases and other locations and countries, she said. She added that it was particularly shocking that after independence, South Sudanese citizens now had to flee to the Sudanese capital Khartoum for safety.
“We are at the risk of seeing the worst famine in the country’s history. It is not because the rains did not come… It is because of a man-made conflict. And if it comes, it will be a man-made famine,” said Ms. Johnson.
She urged the country’s leaders to stop “the finger pointing” and put the country and its people first, ahead of personal interests.
The SRSG reiterated the commitment of the UN to support the South Sudanese people. She also pledged to continue to mobilize support for them and said she hoped to return to the country “in a while”.
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