A delegation from the United Nations Security Council is expected to visit South Sudan on 2nd September, following the recent renewal of the mandate of UNMISS, which underscored the urgency of the Mission’s tasks related to protection of civilians, and the need for stronger cooperation with the Transitional Government.

The delegation, to be co-led by the Permanent Representatives of the Missions of Senegal and the United States, will comprise representatives of all the other permanent and rotating member states of the Security Council, and is expected to hold meetings with President Salva Kiir and other Transitional Government members, with the aim of reinforcing the various messages contained in a number of Resolutions that it has issued in relation to South Sudan. The Council also aims to engage in discussions on how the UN Mission will continue to work with the government to improve the security and humanitarian situation in South Sudan, including discussion of the Regional Protection Force, a key component of the Mission’s new mandate.

While in the country, the Council members will take the opportunity to visit  UNMISS Protection of Civilians sites, in Juba and a protection area established adjacent to the UNMISS base in Wau, to meet with internally displaced people and to see for themselves the prevailing humanitarian and security conditions. Council members will also engage with civil society organisations, community leaders, women and youth groups to obtain firsthand perspectives on the security situation, their needs, challenges, the impact of the conflict on communities, and solicit their views.

The Council has, in its recent Resolution, expressed grave alarm over the security situation and the ongoing violence in the country, as well as the dire humanitarian consequences for the people of the country. It has also noted extreme concern over reports of widespread sexual and gender-based violence and ethnic clashes, and plans to urge all parties to adhere to an immediate end to fighting throughout the country, during this trip.

The visit is also seen as a reiteration of the Council’s full support, expressed in the resolution, for UNMISS as well as the member states’ commitment to seeing an end to the violence in South Sudan, and a return to the full implementation of the Peace Agreement, so that the country can begin to recover from years of conflict and alleviate the suffering of the people.

The United Nations Security Council is made up five permanent members, with a further ten members sitting on the Council on a two-year rotation. The current Presidency of the Council for the month of September is held by New Zealand.