The UN Mission in South Sudan has acknowledged that it is “not in the peace process” even after the expansion of the IGAD mediation team into the so-called ‘IGAD Plus’ mechamism, which includes not only the East African special envoys but also other stakeholders.
Since the start of the civil war, the UN peacekeeping mission has been largely silent on political matters and the peace process, highlighting instead its role in defending ‘protection sites’ and facilitating humanitarian access.
In recent months, however, Moustapha Soumare, the new Deputy Special Representative (Political) of the UN Secretary-General, has been far more active than his predecessor in touring the country, meeting political counterparts in the government and engaging with the press.
But the United Nations Mission has not been authorized to participate in the peace talks in Addis Ababa. The talks are hosted by the Prime Minister of Ethiopia Hailemariam Desalegn, chairman of the East African regional bloc known as IGAD.
Soumare was asked by a journalist at a press conference yesterday whether UNMISS will be involved in the peace process as part of the IGAD Plus mediation mechanism. He admitted that the UN has not given the mission a mandate to be fully part of the talks.
“When I say we are not in the peace process, it does not mean that we are completely disconnected from it. We do not have a mandate per se to be fully part of it, but we are informed, we are engaged, with the Special Envoy and all others,” he said.
“For example, when President Konare, the Special Envoy of the African Union came to Juba, we had discussions with him (…) on what he can do as a Special Envoy to bring peace to this country,” he said.
The top UNMISS official added that it is important that the Mission be at least indirectly involved and kept briefed about the talks.
“As a Mission we might need to be involved. Because, in some way we will be part of the implementation of a peace agreement, we need somehow to be part of the process so that we can say ‘this is possible, this is not possible’. Even though, we don’t decide on the mandate per se, this is the Security Council which decides at the end of the day,” he said.
Photo: UNMISS DSRSG Moustapha Soumaré