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STORY: UN / SOUTH SUDAN SHEARER
TRT: 1:58
SOURCE: UNIFEED
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH / NATS
DATELINE: 23 JUNE 2020, NEW YORK CITY
FILE – NEW YORK CITY
1. Wide shot, United Nations headquarters exterior
23 JUNE 2020, NEW YORK CITY
2. Multiple screen, participants
3. SOUNDBITE (English) David Shearer, Special Representative of Secretary-General and Head of the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS):
“This violence can no longer be pigeonholed as simply intercommunal. Fighters in uniform have been spotted amongst them suggesting that organized forces may be joining the conflict which risks unravelling the ceasefire. A truly unified national leadership would have acted promptly and stepped in to curb this conflict. Instead, the violence has been allowed to play out and is being used to sort out power arrangements at the national and subnational levels. This cycle of impunity fuels serious human rights violations where civilians once again bear the brunt.”
4. Multiple screen, participants
5. SOUNDBITE (English) David Shearer, Special Representative of Secretary-General and Head of the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS):
“The only antidote to COVID, as we know, is prevention. The government’s prevention measures, informed by WHO guidance, have been communicated constantly through campaigns across the country, supported by UNICEF and UNMISS. Yet, despite widespread awareness, observance of these measures has been patchy. Few will submit to isolation at home. The need to earn a living means that people’s behaviour remains unchanged – not working today means not eating tomorrow.”
6. Multiple screen, participants
7. SOUNDBITE (English) David Shearer, Special Representative of Secretary-General and Head of the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS):
“COVID is going to hit hard. But not necessarily in the way that we think. Yes, people will die from the virus, like everywhere else in the world. But the real threat to the people of South Sudan lies in the collapse of the already fragile health system. This could result in many, many more lives being lost – a tragedy that can be prevented.”
8. Multiple screen, participants
UN Special Representative for South Sudan David Shearer said, despite encouraging steps, the peace process is faltering and requires renewed energy adding that violence in the country “can no longer be pigeonholed as simply intercommunal.”
Addressing a virtual meeting of the Security Council today (23 Jun), Shearer said encouraging steps towards peace include the formation of the transitional government, appointment of vice-presidents and a joint cabinet, and gathering of troops at training sites for reunification. He reported that a four-month stand-off between parties over the allocation of states to parties ended last week, but the Governors had not been appointed yet.
However, the Special Representative said violence was escalating with hundreds of civilians being killed, women and children abducted, property stolen or destroyed and over 60,000 people displaced in Jonglei, Unity, Lakes, Warrap and Western Equatorian states.
SOUNDBITE (English) David Shearer, Special Representative of Secretary-General and Head of the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS):
“This violence can no longer be pigeonholed as simply intercommunal. Fighters in uniform have been spotted amongst them suggesting that organized forces may be joining the conflict which risks unravelling the ceasefire. A truly unified national leadership would have acted promptly and stepped in to curb this conflict. Instead, the violence has been allowed to play out and is being used to sort out power arrangements at the national and subnational levels. This cycle of impunity fuels serious human rights violations where civilians once again bear the brunt.”
Shearer said it was vital that the guarantors and IGAD remain actively engaged to maintain the momentum of the peace process. He called on the Transitional Government of National Unity to take decisions collectively, act in the best interests of all its people regardless of ethnic identity and act collectively and swiftly to curtail conflict in the states.
The Special representative noted that while the 1,900 recorded cases of COVID-19 in South Sudan appear low, limited testing as well as social stigma is obscuring the true magnitude of the virus.
SOUNDBITE (English) David Shearer, Special Representative of Secretary-General and Head of the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS):
“The only antidote to COVID, as we know, is prevention. The government’s prevention measures, informed by WHO guidance, have been communicated constantly through campaigns across the country, supported by UNICEF and UNMISS. Yet, despite widespread awareness, observance of these measures has been patchy. Few will submit to isolation at home. The need to earn a living means that people’s behaviour remains unchanged – not working today means not eating tomorrow.”
Shearer said his greatest fear from the pandemic is its potential impact on the already fragile health system in the country, adding that this is a lesson that must be learned from the Ebola outbreak in West Africa when 11,000 died from the virus but many more died from totally preventable health problems.
SOUNDBITE (English) David Shearer, Special Representative of Secretary-General and Head of the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS):
“COVID is going to hit hard. But not necessarily in the way that we think. Yes, people will die from the virus, like everywhere else in the world. But the real threat to the people of South Sudan lies in the collapse of the already fragile health system. This could result in many, many more lives being lost – a tragedy that can be prevented.”
The UN official told the Security Council that it was imperative that health workers have Personal Protective Equipment. He added that the challenge for peacekeepers and humanitarians in South Sudan is to balance carrying out critical work while exercising a duty of care to keep staff safe so that, in turn, they can continue to deliver. This means peacekeeping patrols – which must interact with local populations – are currently prioritized to critical areas where lives are most at risk, he said.
