The escalation of serious violations of human rights between November 2012 and March 2013 has marred the efforts the Government of South Sudan made towards democratic consolidation.
This is the assessment UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon presented in his report on South Sudan to the Security Council earlier in the month.Mr Ban wrote that he was disturbed by what appears to be an erosion of respect for the right to freedom of expression. Incidents of arbitrary arrests, threats, surveillance and intimidation are insidious breaches of the freedom of expression.
He added that despite of the challenges from the clashes in Yei, Wau, Rumbek and Pibor, South Sudan continued to make meaningful progress on several key transitional political processes, including the preparations for the census, national elections, the national constitutional review process and the passage of critical legislation.
Mr Ban said without the resumption of oil production, South Sudan’s economic situation would remain very challenging.
He urged South Sudan’s development partners to provide peace building support for the efforts to stabilize conflict-prone areas.
Mr Ban called upon the Government to fully cooperate in the implementation of the UNMISS mandate, in particular by guaranteeing the safety, security and unrestricted freedom of movement of UN and associated personnel throughout its territory.