The South Sudanese government rejected a request by the United Nations to deploy unmanned aerial vehicles (drones) in support of its peacekeepers in the country, according to a newspaper report.
The fact was revealed yesterday by the New York Times in a report about peacekeeping missions in Africa.
UN soldiers have permission to use unarmed aerial drones for military reconnaissance in Mali, Congo and Central African Republic, but not in South Sudan.
“The United Nations has been rebuffed in its efforts to put them to use in South Sudan, where the government, facing a civil war, has flatly denied permission,” reported the Times.
Peacekeepers have wanted to use drones as one way of boosting their capability to monitor movements by different armed groups, in order to help them protect their own troops as well as civilians.
In early January the UN peacekeepers in South Sudan were keen to know about the progress of a rebel advance toward the capital Juba, but did not have clear information. The uncertainty prompted some humanitarian organizations to delay deployments of emergency response staff.
The UN’s need for better information has also been highlighted by unforeseen attacks on UN bases, two of which were breached in attacks since December, once in Akobo by opposition forces and once in Bor by pro-government forces.
Hilde Johnson, the departed head of UNMISS, last year recommended that the UN consider deploying surveillance drones and helicopter gunships to South Sudan.
After a UN helicopter was shot down in December 2012, she told the UN Security Council that it should consider dispatching helicopter gunships and surveillance drones as a way of helping the mission monitor and respond to insecurity in Jonglei and elsewhere.
UN drones in Mali and Congo
The United Nations has been using drones in Mali, in western Africa, to monitor armed Islamist insurgents operating in the deserts. The drones are operated by the Dutch military.
Swedish troops are also expected to operate drones in Mali when they deploy later this year, according to the New York Times.
In Congo, described by the newspaper as “the first testing ground for drones in peacekeeping,” the UN is using the unmanned aircraft to track movements by armed groups.
UN officials say that the remotely piloted aircraft can be more useful than helicopters for surveillance because drones can fly low without being easily seen or heard, and they can remain over an area gathering information for hours at a time, even in the dark.
A helicopter crew that tried to do the same would risk being shot down.
The World Food Programme has also made requests to the UN peacekeepers in Congo to use the drones to check the conditions of roads in remote areas.
Photo: An Italian-made surveillance drone being used by United Nations peacekeepers in the Democratic Republic of Congo (AFP)
Related coverage:
Peacekeeping under attack in South Sudan (I)
Peacekeeping under attack in South Sudan (II)