The A3+ Group in the United Nations Security Council (Algeria, Somalia, Sierra Leone, and Guyana) on Tuesday urged the international community to bolster the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) through enhanced financial and technical support, amid escalating concerns over the country’s stability.
“Reducing UNMISS’s operational presence risks undermining peace prospects in South Sudan. We echo the UN Secretary-General’s appeal by calling on the international community to address the mission’s funding crisis and enable it to fulfill its essential mandate for national stability,” said Michael Imran Kanu, Permanent Representative of Sierra Leone, speaking on behalf of the group during a Security Council briefing on South Sudan.
“The A3+ underscores the urgent need for sustained funding of UNMISS,” he added.
“We are particularly alarmed by the dire financial state of UN peacekeeping operations, including UNMISS, and by the announced 15% spending cut, which will impair the mission’s effectiveness,” he warned, highlighting that such reductions “will negatively affect its operational capacity” and could result in base closures and staff downsizing.” We believe South Sudan stands at a critical juncture: it could usher in an era of national unity and sustainable development, or relapse into a cycle of violence.
UNMISS’s presence remains indispensable for facilitating peaceful dialogue and preventing further escalation,” Mr. Kanu emphasized.The A3+ countries prioritized funding for humanitarian aid to South Sudan’s population.
They urged the international community to “intensify support for humanitarian operations” while calling on the Government of South Sudan to ease access for aid deliveries and ensure the safety of personnel.
The A3+ voiced “deep concern” over South Sudan’s political and security challenges, aggravated by regional instability particularly the ongoing conflict in neighboring Sudan.The group advocated strict implementation of the 2018 peace agreement, including the operationalization of the envisaged “hybrid court” to prosecute war crimes.
In this vein, the A3+ insisted that former Vice President Riek Machar and other accused individuals “receive fair trials.” Finally, the A3+ urged all South Sudanese parties to “prioritize the people and the country” and to “peacefully resolve all obstacles to the peace agreement’s implementation.”
