New York/Juba, December 5, 2015 (SSNA) — The United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) has denied that its Undersecretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations, Hervé Ladsous, did not said South Sudan’s power-sharing deal has failed; adding that remarks attributed to its operations head were not accurate.
On the 2nd of December, the South Sudan News Agency (SSNA) reported that Herve Ladsous, the UNMISS chief for peacekeeping operations has told the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) that the “peace deal has failed and that the fighting is ongoing.”
UNMISS said the statement was taken out of context and that Ladsous never said it.
“The United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) wishes to clarify remarks attributed to the Undersecretary-General (USG) for Peacekeeping Operations, Hervé Ladsous, during a briefing to the Security Council in New York on December 2, as reported by the South Sudan News Agency (SSNA) on December 2, and carried by other media outlets,” UNMISS said in a statement it sent to the SSNA.
UNMISS clarifies the statement by presenting what it describes as “original statement” made by its peacekeeping operations Chief.
“The USG is reported as having said that the ‘peace deal has failed.’ Mr. Ladsous never made this statement and, it is therefore incorrect. USG Ladsous said that the peace agreement is at a critical stage. He also noted that the implementation of the agreement is making slow, painful progress and there have been several violations of the ceasefire,” UNMISS stated.
“What we are witnessing on the ground is a continuation of the fighting to consolidate positions before the beginning of the transition. No amount of troops or police can replace the political will required of the leaders of South Sudan to bring an end to their conflict," Ladsous told the UNSC on Wednesday.
The UNMISS also provided the SSNA with a video link which shows its head talking about the peace and UN operations.