The Unity State Government has reversed a decision to expel the State Coordinator of the UN Mission (UNMISS), Mary Cummins.
State Information Minister, Peter Makuth, says the State Council of Ministers sat on Wednesday and decided Mary Cummins was not individually responsible for a recent human rights report that pinned government forces of gross human rights violations in the state.
He told Radio Miraya, “We reversed our decision after listening to her and we feel that she is not fully responsible of the report by UNMISS and even though she is the head of the mission in the state, she is not fully responsible because of that reason we reversed our decision.”
“Also we asked them that what we are looking forward for from the UNMISS or the State Coordinator or office department under the UNMISS in Bentiu is that they should cooperate with us as the state government, because we don’t expect them to act as a government inside the government of Unity State. They are partners with us. We also want to facilitate their work,” said Makuth.
Separately, UNMISS Deputy Special Representative (Political) Moustapha Soumare confirmed to journalists in Juba yesterday that Cummins “is now in Unity State.”
“I really want to thank the government at the national level with whom we have had long engagement to discuss the issue. We also had interaction with the Government at the local level and discussed the same issue,” he said.
“It is very encouraging to see that such direct action and engagement both at the national and local levels have actually prevented something like that to happen. So I can reassure you, the State Coordinator is fine, she is in her position in Unity and we wish her all the best as well as a good working relationship with the state authorities,” said Soumare.
Photo: Moustapha Soumare (UN Photo/Staton Winter)