After
S.
Sudan
Bloodshed,
Briefing at
UN, Rice Says
Cattle
Rustling's "No
Joke"
By
Matthew
Russell Lee
UNITED
NATIONS,
January 3 --
After the
bloodbath in
Pibor, the UN
Mission in
South Sudan
was criticized
by Murle
clergy and
members of
parliament
for not having
protected
civilians but
only
government
buildings in
the center of
town. Inner
City Press asked the
UN
Spokesperson
for
comment on
Monday,
without
response.
In
front of the
Security
Council on
Tuesday, Inner
City Press
asked US
Ambassador
Susan Rice on
her way in if
the events in
Pibor would be
the subject
of a briefing
of the
Council, as predicted
here earlier
in the day.
Ambassador
Rice
on her way
out, after
meeting with
this month's
president of
the
Council Baso
SSangqu of
South Africa,
said "probably
yes."
Inner City
Press asked
her about a
mock cattle
rustling
demonstration
she and some
other Council
members saw in
Malau in South
Sudan during
their
trip there on
May 24 of last
year. [See
photo below.]
Rice
said it was
"not just
cattle" but
also "children
being
abducted"
that leads to
inter-communal
instability.
She said the
demonstration
was change to
see the issues
"first hand,"
but that only
half of the
Security
Council
members went,
with others
staying behind
in Juba.
"I
wish all
had a chance
to see it,"
Rice said.
"Some thought
cattle
rustling was a
joke. It's not
a joke."
From
Juba on
Tuesday UN
official Lise
Grande briefed
the Press,
acknowledging
that
the "southern
flank" of
Pibor had been
left
unprotected.
She said that
before
Luo-Nuer
fighters
arrived,
"ninety to
ninety five
percent" of
the Murle
residents had
left and were
"out of harm's
way."
Inner
City Press
asked her
about reports
that the Murle
were
"slaughtered"
once they left
Pibor -- after
being "urged"
to leave by
the UN --
and about what
if anything
the UN is
doing to
try to avoid
further cattle
rustling
reprisal
attacks like
the one
directed at
the Luo-Nuer
in August
2011. Video
here, from
Minute
14:05.
Grande
said that
UNMISS'
mandate is to
provide early
warning, to
support the
government of
South Sudan
and only step
in when the
government is
not
able to
protect
civilians. Did
that happen
here? And did
the UN urge
the Murle to
flee, as
it were, the frying
pan for the
fire?
These
questions
should be
answered.
(c) UN Photo
Cattle
rustling
theater for UN
in Malau May
2011, Pibor 7
months later
not shown
UK
Permanent
Representative
Mark Lyall
Grant told
Inner City
Press he
favors a
briefing "this
week," adding
that while
some people
might
think it is
not a matter
of
international
peace and
stability, it
can
have impacts.
With UNMISS
"involved," he
said, "it
will be useful
to get a
briefing."
Watch this
site.
Footnote:
Inner
City Press
asks asked
Grande if
UNMISS has yet
gone to the
town
of Jau, which
South Sudan
said
Khartoum's
forces
invaded.
After some
back and
forth, Grande
emphasized
that UNMISS is
in the Yida
camp to
the south,
saying that
the border is
not
demarcated,
not agreed to
be
the parties. By the UN
Mission not
going, it
seems like UN
Peacekeeping
chief Herve
Ladsous did to
be saying that
Jau is in
north Sudan.
We'll see.
, 
