SOUTH SUDAN / PROTECTION OF CIVILIANS CHALLENGES
Preview Language:
Original
26-May-2023
00:09:05
In August last year, Lieutenant-General Mohan Subramanian, deployed to South Sudan as Force Commander of UNMISS, leading more than 17,000 Blue Helmets in the world’s newest nation, as they work to protect civilians and usher in a lasting peace. Since taking on this difficult role, he’s faced several challenges head on. UNMISS
Available Language: English
Description
STORY: SOUTH SUDAN / PROTECTION OF CIVILIANS CHALLENGES
TRT: 9:05
SOURCE: UNMISS
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGES: ENGLISH / NATS
DATELINE: SEE SHOTLIST FOR DETAILS
SHOTLIST:
29 AUGUST 2022, JUBA, SOUTH SUDAN
1. Various shots, Force Commander
02 MAY 2023, JUBA, SOUTH SUDAN
2. SOUNDBITE (English) Lt. General Mohan Subramanian, Force Commander, UNMISS:
“I remember on the very first day I came to South Sudan, that day was sort of auspicious because that was the first day when the first parade of unification of the Necessary Unified forces took place. But the very next day we had a problem due to militarization of the Nile River, particularly in the Upper Nile tract. Now, virtually, overnight, a large number of check posts belonging to various armed factions had set shop on the Nile River and were resorting to extortion from commercial trade plying on the Nile River, as well as hindering the movements of every stakeholder on the Nile River, which is absolutely unacceptable from a freedom of movement point of view and also unacceptable from the point of view that Nile River is the backbone of this country through the lifeline through which we were sustaining our deployment in three states which border the river. So, the very first week that I was here, we were confronted with moving our traffic near the Nile River with a modicum of force protection through an area infested with thousands of armed factions. So, that was baptism when I came in. And I am glad for that opportunity because that gave me a conflict driven understanding of the dynamics of the situation.”
FILE - 13 SEP 2019, BENTIU, SOUTH SUDAN
3. Various shots, community and peacekeepers
FILE - 18 MAY 2018, UPPERNILE, SOUTH SUDAN
4. Various shots, peacekeepers
02 MAY 2023, JUBA, SOUTH SUDAN
5. SOUNDBITE (English) Lt. General Mohan Subramanian, Force Commander, UNMISS:
“The second challenge, of course, was in Upper Nile State wherein two communities—the Shilluk and the Nuer—who have forever virtually existed in perfect harmony with each other, they broke into a conflict, possibly due to orchestration from various sources. Now that was a challenge because the conflict was the first of its kind. It had not happened before. Secondly, it happened in an area which was to the West of the river Nile in Upper Nile State, where movement was absolutely impossible except by air, and we had a very small presence in a base called Kodok. Our aim in that conflict was to stay ahead of the curve, protect the largest concentration of civilians rather than getting embroiled in conflict between armed factions and also ensure that our POC camp, which housed nearly 40,000 IDPs, was safe.”
FILE - 18 MAY 2017, UPPERNILE, SOUTH SUDAN
6. Various shots, peacekeepers and displaced people
FILE - 18 OCTOBER 2022, BENTIU, SOUTH SUDAN
7. Various shots, flooded area
02 MAY 2023, JUBA, SOUTH SUDAN
8. SOUNDBITE (English) Lt. General Mohan Subramanian, Force Commander, UNMISS:
“UNMISS peacekeepers have built an elaborate system of dykes all around the town to protect the town from flooding. Our first priority has been protecting the internally displaced people here; second priority has been to keep the airstrip open so that humanitarian aid can flow. The third priority is, of course, to protect Rubkona town and Bentiu town from flooding. And lastly, the priority was also to protect locations where UNMISS personnel had camped. On 9th of September, a very serious crisis took here wherein a breach of 22 meters took place right where we stand and there was a threat of the entire camp getting flooded. That was avoided by 24/7 working by all people here, spearheaded by the Pakistan military engineering company, engineering task force, as well as the two infantry battalions here from Mongolia and Ghana.”
FILE - 18 MAY 2017, BENTIU, SOUTH SUDAN
9. Various shots, displaced persons
10. SOUNDBITE (English) Lt. General Mohan Subramanian, Force Commander, UNMISS:
“So, protection of civilians not only comes in the hue of protecting them with arms, it also comes in the dimension of such actions.”
FILE 28 APRIL 2023, BENTIU, SOUTH SUDAN
11. Various shots, Force Command with peacekeepers
02 MAY 2023, JUBA, SOUTH SUDAN
12. SOUNDBITE (English) Lt. General Mohan Subramanian, Force Commander, UNMISS:
“At the end of it all, the township of Pibor was protected and anybody who took refuge about 17,200 displaced persons, they were all protected to the best of our ability. We were also able to create conditions conducive for delivery of humanitarian assistance.”
FILE - 03 OCT 2017, JUBA, SOUTH SUDAN
13. Various shots, peacekeepers
02 MAY 2023, JUBA, SOUTH SUDAN
14. SOUNDBITE (English) Lt. General Mohan Subramanian, Force Commander, UNMISS:
“Whenever the humanitarians seek force protection for any of their activities through the riverine route, through land or by air, we have provided it.”
FILE - 03 OCTOBER 2017, BENTIU, SOUTH SUDAN
15. Various shots of peacekeepers
02 MAY 2023, JUBA, SOUTH SUDAN
16. SOUNDBITE (English) Lt. General Mohan Subramanian, Force Commander, UNMISS:
“Protection of civilians was always a priority for this mission. 99 percent of our actions were oriented towards it anyway. Now coming to the current mandate, what is good about the current mandate is it makes it very explicit It says very clearly that the protection of civilians is an overarching priority. It states that the capacities and resources of the mission should be prioritized towards this aspect. It also talks of POC or the protection of civilians, not from the perspective of only the places where we are deployed and within our capacities as it is normally understood, but it also talks of protection of civilians in a country wide format, which is difficult to achieve given the fact that, despite being a large mission, we are deployed perhaps only in about 1/5 of a country, which is of the size of two Germany. But notwithstanding that, it gives the right focus, it gives us a direction in which we should move, that we should be able to respond to crisis anywhere in this country with a view to protect civilians.”
FILE - 03 OCTOBER 2017, BENTIU, SOUTH SUDAN
17. Various shots, peacekeepers
FILE - 03 OCT 2017, JUBA, SOUTH SUDAN
18. Various shots, peacekeepers
02 MAY 2023, JUBA, SOUTH SUDAN
19. SOUNDBITE (English) Lt. General Mohan Subramanian, Force Commander, UNMISS:
“I think the foremost factor is the fact that this country is heading towards an election sometime at the end of next year, or maybe a little later. Now, this has created a different set of parameters which affect the security of the country. Areas which were hitherto for free from violence may experience violence when competing parties contest for political representation and also to achieve a certain domination of the population in various areas from a point of view of their victory in the forthcoming polls. The second aspect is also the fact that the foremost guarantor of peace in South Sudan is the neighboring countries represented by IGAD of which the chair was Sudan. With Sudan in turmoil, it will have a huge political, military as well as a more important economic impact on the situation in South Sudan, the economic impact on South Sudan will have spiraling effect on the political and the military domains as well.”
FILE - 28 APRIL 2023, BENTIU, SOUTH SUDAN
20. Med shot, Force Commander with peacekeepers
02 MAY 2023, JUBA, SOUTH SUDAN
21. SOUNDBITE (English) Lt. General Mohan Subramanian, Force Commander, UNMISS:
“These are 75 glorious years. When people evaluate the performance of the United Nations in peacekeeping, I think it is important to keep in mind, what the various conflicts of the world -would have been had peacekeeping efforts not been there. If somebody looks at the whole situation with this perspective, we will realize how important UN Peacekeeping has been to the world.”
FILE - 28 APRIL 2023, BENTIU, SOUTH SUDAN
22. Wide shot, peacekeepers
STORYLINE:
In August last year, Lieutenant-General Mohan Subramanian, deployed to South Sudan as Force Commander of UNMISS, leading more than 17,000 Blue Helmets in the world’s newest nation, as they work to protect civilians and usher in a lasting peace. Since taking on this difficult role, he’s faced several challenges head on.
SOUNDBITE (English) Lt. General Mohan Subramanian, Force Commander, UNMISS
“I remember on the very first day I came to South Sudan, that day was sort of auspicious because that was the first day when the first parade of unification of the Necessary Unified forces took place. But the very next day we had a problem due to militarization of the Nile River, particularly in the Upper Nile tract. Now, virtually, overnight, a large number of check posts belonging to various armed factions had set shop on the Nile River and were resorting to extortion from commercial trade plying on the Nile River, as well as hindering the movements of every stakeholder on the Nile River, which is absolutely unacceptable from a freedom of movement point of view and also unacceptable from the point of view that Nile River is the backbone of this country through the lifeline through which we were sustaining our deployment in three states which border the river. So, the very first week that I was here, we were confronted with moving our traffic near the Nile River with a modicum of force protection through an area infested with thousands of armed factions. So, that was baptism when I came in. And I am glad for that opportunity because that gave me a conflict driven understanding of the dynamics of the situation.”
Consistent engagements with national stakeholders have allowed the top military man in the world’s largest UN Peacekeeping mission to arrive at a dialogue-based solution to this problem, but serving for peace is, at times, a series of crises that consistently demand, Agile, robust, and nimble responses on the ground so that lives can be saved.
SOUNDBITE (English) Lt. General Mohan Subramanian, Force Commander, UNMISS
“The second challenge, of course, was in Upper Nile State wherein two communities—the Shilluk and the Nuer—who have forever virtually existed in perfect harmony with each other, they broke into a conflict, possibly due to orchestration from various sources. Now that was a challenge because the conflict was the first of its kind. It had not happened before. Secondly, it happened in an area which was to the West of the river Nile in Upper Nile State, where movement was absolutely impossible except by air, and we had a very small presence in a base called Kodok. Our aim in that conflict was to stay ahead of the curve, protect the largest concentration of civilians rather than getting embroiled in conflict between armed factions and also ensure that our POC camp, which housed nearly 40,000 IDPs, was safe.”
Thanks to the swift reinforcement of UNMISS peacekeepers, nearly 11,000 newly displaced persons gathered around the mission’s base in Kodok received protection as well as emergency medical attention and humanitarian supplies. Climate change is another unforeseen obstacle that peacekeepers under Force Commander Subramanian’s command are dealing with proactively.
In South Sudan’s Unity state, nearly 170,000 displaced persons and, indeed, the entire state are reeling from the worst floods in nearly six decades.
SOUNDBITE (English) Lt. General Mohan Subramanian, Force Commander, UNMISS:
UNMISS peacekeepers have built an elaborate system of dykes all around the town to protect the town from flooding. Our first priority has been protecting the internally displaced people here; second priority has been to keep the airstrip open so that humanitarian aid can flow. The third priority is, of course, to protect Rubkona town and Bentiu town from flooding. And lastly, the priority was also to protect locations where UNMISS personnel had camped. On 9th of September, a very serious crisis took here wherein a breach of 22 meters took place right where we stand and there was a threat of the entire camp getting flooded. That was avoided by 24/7 working by all people here, spearheaded by the Pakistan military engineering company, engineering task force, as well as the two infantry battalions here from Mongolia and Ghana.”
What would have happened if this breach wasn’t fixed? Force Commander Subramanian is sure that the results would have been catastrophic.
SOUNDBITE (English) Lt. General Mohan Subramanian, Force Commander, UNMISS:
“So, protection of civilians not only comes in the hue of protecting them with arms, it also comes in the dimension of such actions.”
Force Commander Subramanian also led UNMISS efforts to quell rising violence in Jonglei state late last year, but thanks to early warnings, peacekeepers were able to reinforce their presence and protect people.
SOUNDBITE (English) Lt. General Mohan Subramanian, Force Commander, UNMISS
“At the end of it all, the township of Pibor was protected and anybody who took refuge about 17,200 displaced persons, they were all protected to the best of our ability. We were also able to create conditions conducive for delivery of humanitarian assistance.”
Supporting humanitarian actors to reach the most vulnerable s another mandated task that the UNMISS Force Commander feels strongly about.
SOUNDBITE (English) Lt. General Mohan Subramanian, Force Commander, UNMISS
“Whenever the humanitarians seek force protection for any of their activities through the riverine route, through land or by air, we have provided it.”
With a new mandate that robustly enforces UNMISS’ role in protecting civilians, Force Commander Subramanian is candid about what is feasible for the UN Peacekeeping mission to achieve
SOUNDBITE (English) Lt. General Mohan Subramanian, Force Commander, UNMISS:
“Protection of civilians was always a priority for this mission. 99 percent of our actions were oriented towards it anyway. Now coming to the current mandate, what is good about the current mandate is it makes it very explicit It says very clearly that the protection of civilians is an overarching priority. It states that the capacities and resources of the mission should be prioritized towards this aspect. It also talks of POC or the protection of civilians, not from the perspective of only the places where we are deployed and within our capacities as it is normally understood, but it also talks of protection of civilians in a country wide format, which is difficult to achieve given the fact that, despite being a large mission, we are deployed perhaps only in about 1/5 of a country, which is of the size of two Germany. But notwithstanding that, it gives the right focus, it gives us a direction in which we should move, that we should be able to respond to crisis anywhere in this country with a view to protect civilians.”
At this critical time in South Sudan’s history, with the country gearing up for its first ever elections next year, Lieutenant-General Subramanian believes that the role of UNMISS as the country’s partner for peace will become even more cogent, given security implications.
SOUNDBITE (English) Lt. General Mohan Subramanian, Force Commander, UNMISS:
“I think the foremost factor is the fact that this country is heading towards an election sometime at the end of next year, or maybe a little later. Now, this has created a different set of parameters which affect the security of the country. Areas which were hitherto for free from violence may experience violence when competing parties contest for political representation and also to achieve a certain domination of the population in various areas from a point of view of their victory in the forthcoming polls. The second aspect is also the fact that the foremost guarantor of peace in South Sudan is the neighboring countries represented by IGAD of which the chair was Sudan. With Sudan in turmoil, it will have a huge political, military as well as a more important economic impact on the situation in South Sudan, the economic impact on South Sudan will have spiraling effect on the political and the military domains as well.”
As UN Peacekeeping marks 75 years, Force Commander Subramanian feels strongly about the impact missions have had on creating a better world.
SOUNDBITE (English) Lt. General Mohan Subramanian, Force Commander, UNMISS
“These are 75 glorious years. When people evaluate the performance of the United Nations in peacekeeping, I think it is important to keep in mind, what the various conflicts of the world -would have been had peacekeeping efforts not been there. If somebody looks at the whole situation with this perspective, we will realize how important UN Peacekeeping has been to the world.”
TRT: 9:05
SOURCE: UNMISS
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGES: ENGLISH / NATS
DATELINE: SEE SHOTLIST FOR DETAILS
SHOTLIST:
29 AUGUST 2022, JUBA, SOUTH SUDAN
1. Various shots, Force Commander
02 MAY 2023, JUBA, SOUTH SUDAN
2. SOUNDBITE (English) Lt. General Mohan Subramanian, Force Commander, UNMISS:
“I remember on the very first day I came to South Sudan, that day was sort of auspicious because that was the first day when the first parade of unification of the Necessary Unified forces took place. But the very next day we had a problem due to militarization of the Nile River, particularly in the Upper Nile tract. Now, virtually, overnight, a large number of check posts belonging to various armed factions had set shop on the Nile River and were resorting to extortion from commercial trade plying on the Nile River, as well as hindering the movements of every stakeholder on the Nile River, which is absolutely unacceptable from a freedom of movement point of view and also unacceptable from the point of view that Nile River is the backbone of this country through the lifeline through which we were sustaining our deployment in three states which border the river. So, the very first week that I was here, we were confronted with moving our traffic near the Nile River with a modicum of force protection through an area infested with thousands of armed factions. So, that was baptism when I came in. And I am glad for that opportunity because that gave me a conflict driven understanding of the dynamics of the situation.”
FILE - 13 SEP 2019, BENTIU, SOUTH SUDAN
3. Various shots, community and peacekeepers
FILE - 18 MAY 2018, UPPERNILE, SOUTH SUDAN
4. Various shots, peacekeepers
02 MAY 2023, JUBA, SOUTH SUDAN
5. SOUNDBITE (English) Lt. General Mohan Subramanian, Force Commander, UNMISS:
“The second challenge, of course, was in Upper Nile State wherein two communities—the Shilluk and the Nuer—who have forever virtually existed in perfect harmony with each other, they broke into a conflict, possibly due to orchestration from various sources. Now that was a challenge because the conflict was the first of its kind. It had not happened before. Secondly, it happened in an area which was to the West of the river Nile in Upper Nile State, where movement was absolutely impossible except by air, and we had a very small presence in a base called Kodok. Our aim in that conflict was to stay ahead of the curve, protect the largest concentration of civilians rather than getting embroiled in conflict between armed factions and also ensure that our POC camp, which housed nearly 40,000 IDPs, was safe.”
FILE - 18 MAY 2017, UPPERNILE, SOUTH SUDAN
6. Various shots, peacekeepers and displaced people
FILE - 18 OCTOBER 2022, BENTIU, SOUTH SUDAN
7. Various shots, flooded area
02 MAY 2023, JUBA, SOUTH SUDAN
8. SOUNDBITE (English) Lt. General Mohan Subramanian, Force Commander, UNMISS:
“UNMISS peacekeepers have built an elaborate system of dykes all around the town to protect the town from flooding. Our first priority has been protecting the internally displaced people here; second priority has been to keep the airstrip open so that humanitarian aid can flow. The third priority is, of course, to protect Rubkona town and Bentiu town from flooding. And lastly, the priority was also to protect locations where UNMISS personnel had camped. On 9th of September, a very serious crisis took here wherein a breach of 22 meters took place right where we stand and there was a threat of the entire camp getting flooded. That was avoided by 24/7 working by all people here, spearheaded by the Pakistan military engineering company, engineering task force, as well as the two infantry battalions here from Mongolia and Ghana.”
FILE - 18 MAY 2017, BENTIU, SOUTH SUDAN
9. Various shots, displaced persons
10. SOUNDBITE (English) Lt. General Mohan Subramanian, Force Commander, UNMISS:
“So, protection of civilians not only comes in the hue of protecting them with arms, it also comes in the dimension of such actions.”
FILE 28 APRIL 2023, BENTIU, SOUTH SUDAN
11. Various shots, Force Command with peacekeepers
02 MAY 2023, JUBA, SOUTH SUDAN
12. SOUNDBITE (English) Lt. General Mohan Subramanian, Force Commander, UNMISS:
“At the end of it all, the township of Pibor was protected and anybody who took refuge about 17,200 displaced persons, they were all protected to the best of our ability. We were also able to create conditions conducive for delivery of humanitarian assistance.”
FILE - 03 OCT 2017, JUBA, SOUTH SUDAN
13. Various shots, peacekeepers
02 MAY 2023, JUBA, SOUTH SUDAN
14. SOUNDBITE (English) Lt. General Mohan Subramanian, Force Commander, UNMISS:
“Whenever the humanitarians seek force protection for any of their activities through the riverine route, through land or by air, we have provided it.”
FILE - 03 OCTOBER 2017, BENTIU, SOUTH SUDAN
15. Various shots of peacekeepers
02 MAY 2023, JUBA, SOUTH SUDAN
16. SOUNDBITE (English) Lt. General Mohan Subramanian, Force Commander, UNMISS:
“Protection of civilians was always a priority for this mission. 99 percent of our actions were oriented towards it anyway. Now coming to the current mandate, what is good about the current mandate is it makes it very explicit It says very clearly that the protection of civilians is an overarching priority. It states that the capacities and resources of the mission should be prioritized towards this aspect. It also talks of POC or the protection of civilians, not from the perspective of only the places where we are deployed and within our capacities as it is normally understood, but it also talks of protection of civilians in a country wide format, which is difficult to achieve given the fact that, despite being a large mission, we are deployed perhaps only in about 1/5 of a country, which is of the size of two Germany. But notwithstanding that, it gives the right focus, it gives us a direction in which we should move, that we should be able to respond to crisis anywhere in this country with a view to protect civilians.”
FILE - 03 OCTOBER 2017, BENTIU, SOUTH SUDAN
17. Various shots, peacekeepers
FILE - 03 OCT 2017, JUBA, SOUTH SUDAN
18. Various shots, peacekeepers
02 MAY 2023, JUBA, SOUTH SUDAN
19. SOUNDBITE (English) Lt. General Mohan Subramanian, Force Commander, UNMISS:
“I think the foremost factor is the fact that this country is heading towards an election sometime at the end of next year, or maybe a little later. Now, this has created a different set of parameters which affect the security of the country. Areas which were hitherto for free from violence may experience violence when competing parties contest for political representation and also to achieve a certain domination of the population in various areas from a point of view of their victory in the forthcoming polls. The second aspect is also the fact that the foremost guarantor of peace in South Sudan is the neighboring countries represented by IGAD of which the chair was Sudan. With Sudan in turmoil, it will have a huge political, military as well as a more important economic impact on the situation in South Sudan, the economic impact on South Sudan will have spiraling effect on the political and the military domains as well.”
FILE - 28 APRIL 2023, BENTIU, SOUTH SUDAN
20. Med shot, Force Commander with peacekeepers
02 MAY 2023, JUBA, SOUTH SUDAN
21. SOUNDBITE (English) Lt. General Mohan Subramanian, Force Commander, UNMISS:
“These are 75 glorious years. When people evaluate the performance of the United Nations in peacekeeping, I think it is important to keep in mind, what the various conflicts of the world -would have been had peacekeeping efforts not been there. If somebody looks at the whole situation with this perspective, we will realize how important UN Peacekeeping has been to the world.”
FILE - 28 APRIL 2023, BENTIU, SOUTH SUDAN
22. Wide shot, peacekeepers
STORYLINE:
In August last year, Lieutenant-General Mohan Subramanian, deployed to South Sudan as Force Commander of UNMISS, leading more than 17,000 Blue Helmets in the world’s newest nation, as they work to protect civilians and usher in a lasting peace. Since taking on this difficult role, he’s faced several challenges head on.
SOUNDBITE (English) Lt. General Mohan Subramanian, Force Commander, UNMISS
“I remember on the very first day I came to South Sudan, that day was sort of auspicious because that was the first day when the first parade of unification of the Necessary Unified forces took place. But the very next day we had a problem due to militarization of the Nile River, particularly in the Upper Nile tract. Now, virtually, overnight, a large number of check posts belonging to various armed factions had set shop on the Nile River and were resorting to extortion from commercial trade plying on the Nile River, as well as hindering the movements of every stakeholder on the Nile River, which is absolutely unacceptable from a freedom of movement point of view and also unacceptable from the point of view that Nile River is the backbone of this country through the lifeline through which we were sustaining our deployment in three states which border the river. So, the very first week that I was here, we were confronted with moving our traffic near the Nile River with a modicum of force protection through an area infested with thousands of armed factions. So, that was baptism when I came in. And I am glad for that opportunity because that gave me a conflict driven understanding of the dynamics of the situation.”
Consistent engagements with national stakeholders have allowed the top military man in the world’s largest UN Peacekeeping mission to arrive at a dialogue-based solution to this problem, but serving for peace is, at times, a series of crises that consistently demand, Agile, robust, and nimble responses on the ground so that lives can be saved.
SOUNDBITE (English) Lt. General Mohan Subramanian, Force Commander, UNMISS
“The second challenge, of course, was in Upper Nile State wherein two communities—the Shilluk and the Nuer—who have forever virtually existed in perfect harmony with each other, they broke into a conflict, possibly due to orchestration from various sources. Now that was a challenge because the conflict was the first of its kind. It had not happened before. Secondly, it happened in an area which was to the West of the river Nile in Upper Nile State, where movement was absolutely impossible except by air, and we had a very small presence in a base called Kodok. Our aim in that conflict was to stay ahead of the curve, protect the largest concentration of civilians rather than getting embroiled in conflict between armed factions and also ensure that our POC camp, which housed nearly 40,000 IDPs, was safe.”
Thanks to the swift reinforcement of UNMISS peacekeepers, nearly 11,000 newly displaced persons gathered around the mission’s base in Kodok received protection as well as emergency medical attention and humanitarian supplies. Climate change is another unforeseen obstacle that peacekeepers under Force Commander Subramanian’s command are dealing with proactively.
In South Sudan’s Unity state, nearly 170,000 displaced persons and, indeed, the entire state are reeling from the worst floods in nearly six decades.
SOUNDBITE (English) Lt. General Mohan Subramanian, Force Commander, UNMISS:
UNMISS peacekeepers have built an elaborate system of dykes all around the town to protect the town from flooding. Our first priority has been protecting the internally displaced people here; second priority has been to keep the airstrip open so that humanitarian aid can flow. The third priority is, of course, to protect Rubkona town and Bentiu town from flooding. And lastly, the priority was also to protect locations where UNMISS personnel had camped. On 9th of September, a very serious crisis took here wherein a breach of 22 meters took place right where we stand and there was a threat of the entire camp getting flooded. That was avoided by 24/7 working by all people here, spearheaded by the Pakistan military engineering company, engineering task force, as well as the two infantry battalions here from Mongolia and Ghana.”
What would have happened if this breach wasn’t fixed? Force Commander Subramanian is sure that the results would have been catastrophic.
SOUNDBITE (English) Lt. General Mohan Subramanian, Force Commander, UNMISS:
“So, protection of civilians not only comes in the hue of protecting them with arms, it also comes in the dimension of such actions.”
Force Commander Subramanian also led UNMISS efforts to quell rising violence in Jonglei state late last year, but thanks to early warnings, peacekeepers were able to reinforce their presence and protect people.
SOUNDBITE (English) Lt. General Mohan Subramanian, Force Commander, UNMISS
“At the end of it all, the township of Pibor was protected and anybody who took refuge about 17,200 displaced persons, they were all protected to the best of our ability. We were also able to create conditions conducive for delivery of humanitarian assistance.”
Supporting humanitarian actors to reach the most vulnerable s another mandated task that the UNMISS Force Commander feels strongly about.
SOUNDBITE (English) Lt. General Mohan Subramanian, Force Commander, UNMISS
“Whenever the humanitarians seek force protection for any of their activities through the riverine route, through land or by air, we have provided it.”
With a new mandate that robustly enforces UNMISS’ role in protecting civilians, Force Commander Subramanian is candid about what is feasible for the UN Peacekeeping mission to achieve
SOUNDBITE (English) Lt. General Mohan Subramanian, Force Commander, UNMISS:
“Protection of civilians was always a priority for this mission. 99 percent of our actions were oriented towards it anyway. Now coming to the current mandate, what is good about the current mandate is it makes it very explicit It says very clearly that the protection of civilians is an overarching priority. It states that the capacities and resources of the mission should be prioritized towards this aspect. It also talks of POC or the protection of civilians, not from the perspective of only the places where we are deployed and within our capacities as it is normally understood, but it also talks of protection of civilians in a country wide format, which is difficult to achieve given the fact that, despite being a large mission, we are deployed perhaps only in about 1/5 of a country, which is of the size of two Germany. But notwithstanding that, it gives the right focus, it gives us a direction in which we should move, that we should be able to respond to crisis anywhere in this country with a view to protect civilians.”
At this critical time in South Sudan’s history, with the country gearing up for its first ever elections next year, Lieutenant-General Subramanian believes that the role of UNMISS as the country’s partner for peace will become even more cogent, given security implications.
SOUNDBITE (English) Lt. General Mohan Subramanian, Force Commander, UNMISS:
“I think the foremost factor is the fact that this country is heading towards an election sometime at the end of next year, or maybe a little later. Now, this has created a different set of parameters which affect the security of the country. Areas which were hitherto for free from violence may experience violence when competing parties contest for political representation and also to achieve a certain domination of the population in various areas from a point of view of their victory in the forthcoming polls. The second aspect is also the fact that the foremost guarantor of peace in South Sudan is the neighboring countries represented by IGAD of which the chair was Sudan. With Sudan in turmoil, it will have a huge political, military as well as a more important economic impact on the situation in South Sudan, the economic impact on South Sudan will have spiraling effect on the political and the military domains as well.”
As UN Peacekeeping marks 75 years, Force Commander Subramanian feels strongly about the impact missions have had on creating a better world.
SOUNDBITE (English) Lt. General Mohan Subramanian, Force Commander, UNMISS
“These are 75 glorious years. When people evaluate the performance of the United Nations in peacekeeping, I think it is important to keep in mind, what the various conflicts of the world -would have been had peacekeeping efforts not been there. If somebody looks at the whole situation with this perspective, we will realize how important UN Peacekeeping has been to the world.”
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