UN Chief heads to South Sudan following massacre as Enough Project calls for consequences

Washington, DC, February 24, 2016 (SSNA) — UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon is scheduled to visit Juba, South Sudan, where he is expected to meet tomorrow with President Salva Kiir and tour a UN Protection of Civilians (PoC) site. The UN chief’s visit comes on the heels of a massacre of civilians last week at another UN protection camp in Malakal, Upper Nile State, in the northeast of the country. News reports indicate that soldiers from government forces, possibly working with militias, may have carried out the attack.

John Prendergast, Founding Director of the Enough Project, said: “The visit of the Secretary General comes against the backdrop of yet another reminder of the lack of any accountability for serious human rights abuses being committed in war-impacted areas like Malakal.  In the absence of any consequences for the commission of atrocities or the looting of state assets and resources, the cycle of violence will continue.  Even as some positive steps are being taken to implement the August peace agreement, UN Security Council countries and others with leverage should reinforce diplomatic efforts by using financial pressure on those elites and the networks that fund violence.”

Brad Brooks-Rubin, Director of Policy at the Enough Project, said: “As South Sudan’s peace process continues to limp along as spoilers continue efforts to delay and derail it, Ban Ki-moon should use his visit to South Sudan to impress upon its politicians the urgent need to respect the terms of the peace agreement, remove all obstacles to its implementation, and form the transitional government as soon as possible.”

About THE ENOUGH PROJECT

The Enough Project, an atrocity prevention policy group, seeks to build leverage for peace and justice in Africa by helping to create real consequences for the perpetrators and facilitators of genocide and other mass atrocities. Enough aims to counter rights-abusing armed groups and violent kleptocratic regimes that are fueled by grand corruption, transnational crime and terror, and the pillaging and trafficking of minerals, ivory, diamonds, and other natural resources. Enough conducts field research in conflict zones, develops and advocates for policy recommendations, supports social movements in affected countries, and mobilizes public campaigns. Learn more – and join us – at www.EnoughProject.org