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06:12 GMT
NEW YORK, May 3 (KUNA) -- UN officials and diplomats late Friday urged the Security Council to protect the people in South Sudan from the threat of genocide, and to take whatever measures needed to put an end to their suffering.
High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay and Adama Dieng, UN Special Adviser on the Prevention of Genocide, who visited South Sudan this week upon Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon's request to assess the human rights situation there, briefed the Council on their findings.
"The deadly spiral of revenge killings that has developed over the past four and a half months appears to be reaching a level of intensity that generates a real fear of disaster for the people of South Sudan," Pillay told the Council in an open meeting.
"I fear that South Sudan's leaders are locked in a purely personal power struggle, with little or no regard for the appalling suffering that it inflicts on their people... Regional leaders see the conflict as a showdown between two leaders for political power and the control of oil revenues," she added.
The violence that broke out in mid-December following a power struggle between President Salva Kiir, who belongs to the Dinka Tribe, and his opponent former Vice-President Riek Mashar, who belongs to the rival Nuer tribe, quickly degenerated into ethnic violence that resulted in thousands of victims.
In April, forces loyal to Machar attacked civilians in Bentiu, pursuing them into a hospital, a church and a mosque, killing hundreds. In Bor, several hundred armed youths forced their way into the UN camps, where civilians took refuge, and fired in an ethnically-motivated assault, killing over a hundred.
Pillay urged the Council to support the African Union initiative to quickly deploy to South Sudan a Protection and Deterrent Force that will help save lives in the short run, adding that it "should be deployed only if it has a clear mandate that supports the political resolution of the conflict."
Dieng told the Council that if the attacks against civilians are not immediately halted, they "could plunge the country into serious violence that could spiral out of control. In the current situation we see elements that we could categorize as risk factors of genocide and other atrocity crimes."
He reminded the Council that the international community vowed to the survivors of the genocide in Rwanda 20 years ago to "take all possible measures within our power to protect populations from another Rwanda. There is no excuse for inaction."
If the parties do not clearly demonstrate their intention to reverse course, he warned, "I believe the Council should consider taking additional measures against the parties to prevent the situation from deteriorating further."
"Today's violence in South Sudan is not motivated by the desire to change the country, but rather by self-interest goals related to accessing oil wealth and development resources. The international community must not be complicit in this agenda," he urged.
Addressing the Council, US Ambassador Samantha Power expressed regret the leaders in office and in the opposition, who fought for South Sudan's independence, have chosen to place "personal rivalries and suspicions above the best interests of their country,.. coercion over cooperation, and violence over the democratic process."
She urged the Council to "consider urgently whether to put in place ... targeted Security Council sanctions so as to try to deter the outrageous attacks on civilians."
She said her delegation will circulate in the coming days a resolution that will revise the mandate of the UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) to focus more fully on civilian protection, human rights monitoring and investigation, and aid delivery.
"Given the key role UNMISS plays, this Council should take up that (proposed) resolution with the urgency that this crisis demands," she urged.
"It is imperative," she insisted, "that we remain determined and united in pressing the government and leading opposition figures in South Sudan to reverse their dangerous course, and genuinely - actually - pursue peace."
She reminded the Government and the opposition in Juba that they have the "duty to pull their country back from the abyss. It is not too late. But the window is closing."
UNMISS, currently comprising 5,500 troops, less than half of its authorized strength of 12,500, was established by the Council in 2011. Its objective is to consolidate peace and security, and help establish conditions for development in the country, with a view to strengthening the Government's capacity to govern effectively and democratically and establish good relations with its neighbours. (end)
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