6 Jul 2012

SOUTH SUDAN / JOHNSON

The UN’s top official in South Sudan said today (6 July) that the UN mission in the country had saved thousands of lives over the past year by deploying armed peacekeepers to attack-prone areas. UNMISS

Posted at: July 6, 2012 4:41 pm

Duration: 01:44

Available in: SD

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Full script

STORY: SOUTH SUDAN / JOHNSON
TRT: 1:44
SOURCE: UNMISS
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH / NATS

DATELINE: 6 JULY 2012, JUBA, SOUTH SUDAN

SHOTLIST:

1. Wide shot, Special Representative of the Secretary General for South Sudan Hilde Johnson 
2. Various shots, journalists
3. SOUNDBITE (English) Hilde Johnson, Special Representative of the Secretary General for South Sudan:
"The renewed mandate continues to place the protection of civilians at the heart of the mission's work. The other key areas are assisting in improving the security situation and helping to lay the foundations for the new state including extension of State authority. We are committed to working in partnership with the authorities and with the peoples of South Sudan to fulfill our mission."
4. Various shots, journalists
5. SOUNDBITE (English) Hilde Johnson, Special Representative of the Secretary General for South Sudan:
"Looking back, the last year has clearly been a difficult one for the people and the government of South Sudan.  It's been a tough start.  We have seen and are still seeing challenges in the area of security, the economic situation, and now also significant humanitarian challenges."
6. Various shots, camera operators
7. SOUNDBITE (English) Hilde Johnson, Special Representative of the Secretary General for South Sudan:
"Over the last 12 months the government has clearly been hampered by these unresolved issues. The tensions and the crisis between Sudan and South Sudan have impeded state and nation building efforts. In many ways, these unresolved issues have been like chains on the feet of the new and independent country. They have also constituted significant challenges and problems for Sudan."
8. Various shots, journalists

STORYLINE:

The UN's top official in South Sudan said today (6 July) that the UN mission in the country had saved thousands of lives over the past year by deploying armed peacekeepers to attack-prone areas.

Hilde F. Johnson, the Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General (SRSG) in South Sudan also warned that renewed restiveness and violence in Jonglei, the largest state in the country, could spill over into other states and cause instability in the entire country.

Johnson said the UN had also verified reported violations of international humanitarian law and confirmed bombings of civilian targets inside South Sudan by Sudanese elements.

Speaking at a press conference on the mission's achievements over the past year, Johnson said that the UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) had always provided early warning to the South Sudanese government on advancing armed groups in Jonglei State, and had engaged in other areas of inter-communal conflict, dispatching teams to 40 hotspots in South Sudan over the past year in cooperation with local and state partners in trying to preclude conflicts.

The mission had worked to uphold democracy and political pluralism through development of the Political Parties Act and had fought for inclusivity in the process, the SRSG said.

Johnson said South Sudan had experienced a difficult beginning since becoming independent almost one year ago.

She stressed the need to resolve outstanding issues of the Sudan-South Sudan peace accord, which was important for the viability of the new country. The unresolved issues, she said, have been "like chains on the feet" of South Sudan.

South Sudan became independent from Sudan on 9 July last year, six years after the signing of a peace agreement that ended decades of warfare between the north and south.

Commenting on a resolution passed by the UN Security Council on Thursday (5 July) which extended the peacekeeping mission in South Sudan for another year, Johnson said the renewed mandate would continue to, "place the protection of civilians at the heart of the mission's work."  .