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Near Verbatim Transcript of Press Briefing by the Special Representative of the Secretary-General and Head of the United Nations Mission in South Sudan Mr. David Shearer Juba Conference Room UNMISS Tomping Site, Juba - 19 September 2018

Opening Remarks: Good morning and thanks for coming along today. Welcome also to our Radio Miraya listeners who are tuning in live to this press conference. Good to be with you again. I'd like to briefly update you on the progress today on the peace process and the role of UNMISS in supporting the implementation. I'll also touch on some concerns we have about the security situation and then answer any questions you may have.

A week ago today, I attended the Summit in Addis Ababa and signed the Revitalized Agreement on Resolution of the Conflict in South Sudan as a witness to the peace deal. I saw this as a positive step in the process and I commend all the parties involved for making a fresh, public commitment to building peace. As I said at the Summit in my speech, this is just one step on the long road to peace, but it is an important one because it lays the foundations for what comes. The real challenge the parties face now is implementing the agreement which is the phase we are entering. There is currently a key ingredient that is lacking. That is trust. Those who signed the agreement have in the past been former friends but have also been former foes. From my discussions with them, suspicion is still quite widespread. So, a lot of work needs to be done to encourage trust between the parties as well as between the parties and the people of South Sudan. And that's something that we all need to help with. The UN is poised to help with the implementation of the agreement. But there must be an agreed realistic plan to achieve this. And as I say that's what is moving ahead now. We also need to see clear evidence that all the warring factions have the political will to stop the violence. Those who signed the peace agreement last week were required to disengage their forces within 72 hours. Overall, we have seen a reduction in the level of fighting since last year. This is a positive sign, but it must be sustained, so that in time, people will be able to resume their livelihoods and their ways of life and return to their own homes. But already there have been flare-ups of fighting in southern Central Equatoria where CTSAMM is now investigating alleged violations of the ceasefire in the area. This violence continues to cause, as we all know, immense human suffering. This insecurity has also resulted in the direct targeting of UN peacekeepers. As some of you will know, one of our Nepalese peacekeepers was shot and wounded by Government security forces in Yei town at the weekend. He was travelling with a convoy to collect water when the shooting occurred. I have visited him in hospital here in Juba and I'm pleased to say that he is recovering. We have been informed by local authorities that the perpetrator has been caught and will face a court martial. We have also been told that this was an isolated incident. But UNMISS is sending a very strong message to local authorities and the Government that they must establish command and control over the armed forces to ensure this kind of unruly behaviour does not occur again.
I have assured the Government and all of the parties that were signatories to the agreement that UNMISS is ready to support genuine peacebuilding and reconciliation activities during the implementation of the agreement. We have a widespread presence across the country and will continue to carry out our mandated work to protect civilians and build durable peace.
Much has been made of the role of the Regional Protection Force. Sixty percent of the 4000 troops allocated to the RPF under the Security Council resolution is deployed. But under current budget constraints on UN peacekeeping, it is unlikely to be further expanded.
The RPF is now fully merged with the existing UNMISS forces. It reports to the one UNMISS Force Commander and ultimately to me. Although its Security Council mandate is to defend key infrastructure in Juba, its composition is largely identical to our pre-existing battalions currently serving with UNMISS, and includes many of the same troop contributing countries.
The Intergovernmental Authority on Development has indicated that it wants the RPF to play an enhanced role in supporting the implementation of the revitalized peace agreement. IGAD has said that it will engage with the UN Security Council about its full deployment and request a further review of the UNMISS mandate to potentially allow regional countries to contribute troops, including Sudan, Uganda, Djibouti and Somalia.
And that is the appropriate response given that it is ultimately the Security Council that determines UNMISS' role, including the mandate of the RPF.
I will travel to UN headquarters in New York later this week, ahead of the General Assembly meetings, to participate actively in discussions and expand on how UNMISS can best support the implementation of the peace agreement.
We acknowledge that there has been some skepticism whether the political will exists to implement the agreement. The reaction from people I've spoken to here has been hopeful but cautious. Like all of us, they want to see concrete action from all the parties involved to demonstrate that they are truly committed to peace.
As with all peace agreements, they are not perfect. But it is the only one that we have on the table and for that reason, we all need to work together to ensure that it is genuinely inclusive and endures so that people can finally enjoy peace and prosperity in South Sudan.
Thank you. I'll now take any questions.

Q & A
Q: [indiscernible first part of question]. The second question is how can UNMISS support the implementation of the peace agreement and also observe the implementation of the ceasefire? Thank you.
SRSG David Shearer: Just on the peacekeeper that was shot and wounded in the leg, it was done by somebody who was firing in the air, as I understand it, and then suddenly he shot at peacekeepers. Our peacekeepers decided not to fire back because they were concerned about hitting people in the crowd because there were other innocent civilians around the place. That's that incident.
The issue with regard the way that the peace agreement unfolds, clearly, we have been involved in many of the discussions around the agreement. We can certainly provide some support around the security side of things - both in the security sector reform and ultimately the composition of forces as the security sector gets to come reunified. The question really is that we need a plan and a plan is on the table, we can look at how we can best support that. I think we would like to be part of those discussions as we go forward because we have got more than 14,000 troops across the country and 18 different bases so we are in a good position to be able to support whatever comes up. But that needs to be fleshed out in the plan, rather than us saying we can do this or that. We would rather respond to an implementation plan as it goes forward.
VoA: You did say that already there have been flareups of fighting in southern central equatoria where CTSAMM is now investigating alleged violations of the ceasefire. May you just try to make us understand exactly who are fighting in that area? What does this fighting mean to the implementation of the deal in which the parties are to focus on?
SRSG David Shearer: First, as I also said then, since the ceasefire was signed in July that came after the Cessation of Hostilities Agreement, there has been a general downturn in the overall levels of violence across the country. That coincides with the rainy season as well but we believe that forces have, to a large extent, heeded the ceasefire in most parts.
However, there have been a couple of areas where there has been some fighting ongoing. One is in Western Bahr el Ghazal and the other, as you pointed out, has been in central Equatoria. In central Equatoria, it is quite complex. There are a number of small groups. But from our understanding at the moment - this is subject to confirmation from CTSAMM - the fighting is between the SPLA and the SPLA-IO and the possible involvement of NAS forces as well, but I think that is probably minor.
The important point is that with the agreement being signed last Wednesday, the disengagement of those forces means that they should pull back so that they are not in the position where they need to or might be prone to going into conflict with each other. That is what we want to see so that we have peace in that area.
Just one last comment on this, that is a very important area because it is an area where a lot of the agriculture production for South Sudan comes from. The more we have peace in that area, the more the people can get back to their homes and the more they can start growing crops and the better the situation not only there but also for the country as a whole. VoA: Is the fighting still continuing or ...?
SRSG David Shearer: As of two days ago it was ongoing. I haven't heard a report from yesterday yet. Eye Radio: How effective are we going to see the role of the RPF. We still see reports by UNMISS and other aid agencies of denial of access to certain areas. How different will this one be in terms of trying to improve the security across the country, particularly on the mandate of UNMISS in protecting civilians? We have heard of reports of violations of human rights taking place. So what is it going to be like this time round to ensure that the forces that will be deployed from the region as part of the RPF will ensure that this stops?
SRSG David Shearer: Just to reiterate, the RPF function is largely confined to Juba, to protect the key installations within Juba.
As I said, around 60% or 2,300 of the RPF are now deployed. They include two battalions, particularly one from Rwanda and one from Ethiopia. They will be carrying out their mandate as set out by the Security Council. We expect them to be able to do the job that is expected of them within Juba. The reinforcement and the bringing in of the RPF has had some positive impacts on UNMISS itself because it means we have been able to redeploy the forces that had been based in Juba to other areas and in particular the Equatorias. So we are reinforcing our presence in Yambio, Yei for obvious reasons, and in Torit as well.
Just to go back, the RPF is focused in Juba, it is part of UNMISS, it is a component of UNMISS, it's not separate, it reports to the same Force Commander and it is largely comprised and composed of troops that are from Rwanda and Ethiopia, for example, that are largely the same as are already here, but they will be doing their job inside of Juba.
APF: The US, Norway and UK didn't sign the peace deal this time around. I am just wondering how significant you think that is to the implementation of it?
SRSG David Shearer: There was a whole bunch of spaces. I signed it as a witness for the United Nations because, you know, we were there. You have to ask them for their reasons for not signing it, but there were actually a few gaps in the agreement. I noticed that when I was signing there were a few others that weren't there or didn't sign but, as for the reasons, that is really for them to answer. AFP: Do you think it is significant? Or do you think they will play a significant role in the peace deal being implemented or hinder it in any way?
SRSG David Shearer: I think most people have said, I mean pretty much overwhelmingly, everybody is positive about the peace agreement going forward; that actually it is the only peace agreement that is on the table at the moment so in a way we don't have a plan B, this is it - and this is certainly our position. Thirdly, everybody is expressing - and I even picked this up in Juba and around when I am talking to South Sudanese and others - people are positive about this but very cautious because they have been through this before. So people would like to see real action on the ground. And I think that's what many of the people that spoke last Wednesday and even the Security Council last night when South Sudan was discussed in the Security Council. People are positive but cautious. AlArabiya: Two days ago, President Kiir made a phone call to Riek Machar. You as a witness to the signing of the peace agreement last week in Addis Ababa and as an observer, how do you see this act from President Kiir?
There are other regional troops from Sudan, Uganda, Djibouti and Somalia. the question is: why Somalia? Many observers have seen that Somalia does not have the capability to be part of the regional forces that is going to be part of this peace agreement. What is your concern about this? Are these regional forces going to be under your command or under the CTSAMM?
SRSG David Shearer: On the phone call that President Kiir said he had made, I know as much as you do about that. What I would say is that if the two leaders are in communication with each other then that is a positive thing. Being at the signing last Wednesday it was good to see the various leaders talking to each other and sharing a joke and that sort of thing. I think that was a good start and the fact that they carried on with the communications, I would see that is positive.
On the composition of the Regional Protection Forces, what needs to happen is that this request by the IGAD needs to go to the Security Council. The Security Council then makes the determination about the Regional Protection Forces and about whether it needs to change the mandate. The composition of the forces is in some parts Security Council and then, obviously, the Peacekeeping Operations in New York that makes that decision. They will look at the forces in terms of what's appropriate and who is ready to go, etc. That's really their decision.
I think the issue about putting those four countries out there is they are the countries of the IGAD. Really what you have there now is that pretty much every country of the IGAD willing to contribute troops. To some extent, I think it is a recognition of the solidarity of IGAD to back the agreement and I would see it in that light rather than any other.
Lastly on your point about the Regional Protection Forces, the RPF is part of UNMISS. It comes under the UN and reports to the UN Force Commander and ultimately to me. As with regards to our relationship with the CTSAMM, the CTSAMM comes under IGAD. As you know it is the truce and ceasefire monitoring body. We support them in the field - they live on our bases, they travel on our aircraft, they move with us on our convoys. So we enable them to do their job which is different from ours. But their job is quite different from our job. Their job is to monitor the ceasefire. I think it works very well like that, I would say, so I hope the CTSAMM will be able to continue its role. I think its role is important. What we need to see is a ceasefire that is being upheld on the ground. When it is being upheld on the ground, it means that fighting hopefully reduces; it means that humanitarian assistance gets through; it means that people aren't being killed and then ultimately people can start returning to their homes.
So CTSAMM's role and keeping the ceasefire in operation is really, really important so we are anxious that CTSAMMs role continue and we are ready to commit to supporting it as well. The Dawn: Last Sunday a Nepali peacekeeper was shot in Yei. Would the UN do its investigation or will it leave that solely to the Government?
SRSG David Shearer: We always do an investigation if a peacekeeper is injured or shot. We will look into the circumstances of that.
I was very pleased that the Government also followed up. They tell us that they have apprehended the soldier concerned and he is going to face a court martial and they have assured us that this is a one-off and it was just one soldier. I am hoping that is the case. We will follow up with our own investigations, of course, to see if we can determine the facts around that.
But from the response from the Government, it was a very timely and quick response so I was pleased about that.
VoA: I am just wondering if you can briefly highlight the progress made in the deployment of the RPF. We do know that 4,000 RPF soldiers were supposed to be deployed in Juba since late 2016. Unless otherwise, it seems like only a few, not even half of that figure, have been deployed - you may correct me if I am wrong. May you highlight what could be some of the challenges and are there plans to step-up deployment of more of these forces?
SRSG David Shearer: Just to be clear, there are 4,000 mandated under the Security Council. There are 2,300 that have arrived. That means there are around about 1,700 yet to come. The current budget levels of UNMISS - as you know, peacekeeping around the world is subject to budget restrictions - the current budget levels are sufficient to cater for the troops that are already there. To bring in additional troops, obviously, the budget will need to rise for that.
The current deployment includes, as I said, a battalion of Ethiopian troops (battalion is around about 800), a battalion of Rwandan troops, a company of Nepalese enablers (a company is around 150 - 200), and a company of Bangladeshi engineers who are around about 260 odd. That is the total component. There may be a few additional enablers in there as well but that is the main component of the force.
As I said, the Regional Protection Forces is part of UNMISS, it is focused in Juba. Now the fact that they have arrived we've got 2,300 - 2,400 extra troops and this means that we have been able to redeploy troops that were already in Juba to other places including the ones that I have already mentioned - Yambio, Yei and eventually Torit.
Q: What preparations does UNMISS have anticipating the return of South Sudanese refugees? Are there mechanisms being put in place to ensure that when they return they feel safe and confident to return back home?
SRSG David Shearer: There've been around 2.2 million refugees outside of South Sudan at the moment. The majority of those are in Uganda and that come out of mainly the Equatorian region. The Equatorian region, as I said before, is a very important region for South Sudan because this is the breadbasket in terms of the growing of crops in that particular area and they get two or three different crops in that area so it's all the reasons why it is so important.
The reason why we are increasing our forces in Yambio, Yei and Torit is, in part, because of the large number of people that have left. We feel that if we can increase the number of patrols that we are doing, increase our presence on the ground, show that our forces are there and certainly give confidence to people to start coming back to their homes. We cannot guarantee people's safety when they come back. That is not something that we are able to do - we can't guarantee any individual coming back and that is their decision to make. But we that if we are able to be on the ground in greater numbers, we are hopeful that the level of conflict will come down and that people will make up their own minds about coming back and getting on with their lives. That is our strategy. Q: Those of Somali and Sudanese and Djibouti troops that will be coming to South Sudan, are they part of the remaining RPF or are they separate troops?
SRSG David Shearer: The IGAD Communique clearly states that what they are looking for is IGAD forces to be part of the RPF which will then be part of the UN peacekeeping efforts that will be part of UNMISS. As I said before, the request from IGAD, I think it will have to go through the IGAD Peace and Security Council and then on to the UN Security Council in New York. At that point they will make a decision about the RPF or the mandate of UNMISS with regard to that. And then the forces themselves are pulled together in terms of who is ready, who is available, assuming that we have the budget and everything is all lined up.
As I said before, I think the important thing to see in the way that IGAD phrased it in terms of the other countries is that with Ethiopia and Kenya already being looked at to provide forces, it is more of a solidarity by the IGAD to show solidarity and support to the process in South Sudan. So there is a way to go before we actually see any forces arrive but it is important that IGAD show that solidarity and they get behind the peace process. As I said in the very beginning, it is very welcome.
I didn't say so before but I think we should take our hats off to the Government of Sudan and the Government of Uganda that worked very hard in getting this peace process to where it is now and have done a very good job. Foreign Minister Al-Dirderi worked very hard personally, going back and forth between the different groups. We know that because we were there and watched it on the ground. And President Al-Bashir who provided that support and very strongly backed by President Museveni of Uganda as well.
I think it is very positive that the region has got very strongly behind it and the reflection of "yes we can provide these forces" reflects their wish to be seen to be coming behind the agreement. AFP: You said you are going to the UN General Assembly. I was just wondering what would you hope some outcomes would be regarding South Sudan after the Assembly?
SRSG David Shearer: It's a good question.
The General Assembly, because it addresses everything in the world, is a pretty broad brush. What I would like to see is the peace agreement that we signed last week being talked about and endorsed more broadly in the wider community. For example, amongst the broader African Union colleagues who would be there. I am sure it would be talked more about within the Security Council and the Security Council members. Certainly, I am having a whole range of meetings with member states to talk about the peace agreement.
It is about taking what we've got and expanding it out and trying to bring in more support for being able to move forward. That is what I would see as the real advantage of the peace agreement being signed last week and now being taken to the General Assembly next week.
AFP: What support is that? In terms of funding?
SRSG David Shearer: Funding is obviously going to be necessary. I think what people would need to do first is to digest what's in the agreement, understand what's coming down the track next and then feeling that this is something that they want to get behind. At that point when there is a demonstration on the ground that it is going forward, I think funding will be more likely to come. VoA: We know that the implementation of the peace deal kicked off immediately the day it was signed. In your own perspective as the SRSG in South Sudan, have you seen any progress of the parties committing themselves as far as the implementation is concerned? You have already highlighted the lack of trust, in your own perspective, is there commitment from the parties in starting to implement the deal?
SRSG David Shearer: We've not seen anything concrete at the moment. What needs to happen first, as I said before, we need to see a disengagement of the forces. That is possibly the most important thing that we need to see. If we see that, that is a real demonstration of goodwill and that would mean that we would see the end of fighting on the ground. I think that would be the number one thing. The number two thing is the continuation of the discussions around the implementation. I don't think the implementation part of it was advanced sufficiently to see a great deal of tangible evidence of things happening within the first few weeks. I do think that continuing to be at the table and working out the implementation is where the priority needs to be given now going forward. Thank you very much everybody, good to see you again and thank you very much to our Radio Miraya listeners.

### Communications & Public Information Section Spokesperson and Media Relations Unit Francesca Mold mold2@un.orgmailto:mold2@un.org

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