South Sudan Defends Order To Close UN base In Akobo

By Debora Akur Chol, South Sudan

The government of South Sudan defends the military directive calling for the closure of a base run by the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) in Akobo, saying the order followed earlier coordination between the government and the U.N. mission.

The South Sudan People’s Defence Forces (SSPDF) last Friday issued a directive instructing civilians, humanitarian organizations, and UNMISS to vacate Akobo within 72 hours. The army also asked the mission to close its temporary base and leave the area, citing plans to begin a new phase of operations against the opposition Sudan People’s Liberation Army–In Opposition.

Information Minister Ateny Wek Ateny said the directive from the army was not intended as a threat to UNMISS but was a follow-up to earlier communication between the government and the peacekeeping mission.

Ateny, who also serves as a government spokesperson, spoke to reporters in Juba after a meeting of the government’s governance cluster that reviewed a report from the country’s military leadership on the situation in Akobo County.

The meeting was chaired by Vice President Rebecca Nyandeng de Mabior and attended by several senior officials, including Chief of Defence Forces Gen. Paul Nang Majok, Justice Minister Michael Makuei Lueth and Humanitarian Affairs Minister Albino Atak Mayom.

Ateny said the SSPDF statement issued Friday was linked to earlier correspondence with UNMISS regarding the closure of the temporary base in Akobo, located in Jonglei State.

“The writing from the SSPDF was a follow-up to those correspondences,” Ateny said, adding that the communication was intended to remind the mission of what he described as a prior understanding that the United Nations would eventually withdraw from Akobo.

He said Akobo had already been identified by the United Nations as one of the locations where UNMISS bases would close as part of a broader reconfiguration of the mission’s presence in the country.

According to Ateny, the measure was intended to ensure civilians were not caught in crossfire during military operations in the area.

“The SSPDF is determined to ensure that civilians within areas of operation are not caught in crossfire,” he said, adding that the protection of civilians remains the responsibility of the army.

Ateny also said the governance cluster received a briefing from the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs on the potential humanitarian consequences of t

he situation in Akobo.