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STORY: UN / DRC SPLA-IO
TRT: 02:16
SOURCE: UNIFED-UNTV
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH / NATS
DATELINE: 7 SEPTEMBER 2016, NEW YORK CITY / FILE
FILE – RECENT, NEW YORK CITY
1. Wide shot, exterior United Nations headquarters
7 SEPTEMBER 2016, NEW YORK CITY
2. Wide shot, Stéphane Dujarric at the podium
3. Med shot, journalists
4. SOUNDBITE (English) Stéphane Dujarric, Spokesperson for the Secretary-General:
“Some armed elements of the SPLA in Opposition have crossed into the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The UN is engaging with the government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and South Sudan with a view of finding a solution for these combatants in line with their respective mandates. MONUSCO has evacuated some elements from the SPLA in Opposition on humanitarian grounds so that they can receive urgent medical assistance, pending their voluntary disarmament.”
5. Med shot, journalists
6. SOUNDBITE (English) Stéphane Dujarric, Spokesperson for the Secretary-General:
“We have been in touch with all the relevant authorities in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and I would stress again that those members of the SPLA in Opposition who were evacuated to hospitals, those acts were done purely on humanitarian grounds. Their conditions, a number of them, was truly critical and it was an issue of life and death and I think we had, on humanitarian grounds, I think we had no choice.”
7. Med shot, journalists
8. SOUNDBITE (English) Stéphane Dujarric, Spokesperson for the Secretary-General:
“The criticality of the political process, of the peace process in South Sudan remains. What Riek Machar’s individual role is, what his health situation is, is not something I can answer, but clearly, whether it’s him personally or those he represents politically or on other grounds, all have a role to play, including with the government, in trying to put the country back together.”
9. Med shot, journalists
10. SOUNDBITE (English) Stéphane Dujarric, Spokesperson for the Secretary-General:
“They were found to be in this area, in a critical situation, and the troops, the armed elements, were evacuated, though I would stress that all their weapons were taken, they surrendered their weapons before boarding any UN helicopters.”
11. Med shot, journalists
12. Wide shot, Dujarric walks away from the podium
The Spokesperson for Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, Stéphane Dujarric, today (7 Sep) confirmed that “some armed elements” of the SPLA in Opposition (SPLA-IO) have crossed into the Democratic Republic of the Congo and that the UN mission in that country has evacuated injured combatants “on humanitarian grounds so that they can receive urgent medical assistance.”
Dujarric said “their conditions, a number of them, was truly critical and it was an issue of life and death and I think we had, on humanitarian grounds, I think we had no choice.”
The spokesperson said former Vice-President and SPLA-IO leader Riek Machar and “those he represents politically or on other grounds, all have a role to play, including with the government, in trying to put the country back together.”
He stressed that “all their weapons were taken; they surrendered their weapons before boarding any UN helicopters.”
In early July, close to the fifth anniversary of the country's independence, the youngest nation was plunged into fresh violence due to clashes between rival forces – the Sudan People's Liberation Army (SPLA), loyal to President Salva Kiir, and the SPLA-IO, backing former First Vice-President Riek Machar. That led to deaths and injuries, including those of several UNMISS peacekeepers, also undermining the implementation of the peace agreement between the political rivals in August 2015, which formally ended their differences.
