The peacekeeping chief of the United Nations in New York says the original ‘raison d’être’ of the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) no longer applies and the mission will make a strategic shift of posture.

UNMISS had a mandate from the UN Security Council to help extend state authority by building capacity of the Government of the Republic of South Sudan. Activity to that end has now been halted as the mission takes on new tasks, the UN headquarters says.

Under-Secretary-General Hervé Ladsous explained in a briefing to the Security Council on Wednesday that the “the raison d’être of the United Nations Mission in South Sudan no longer applied,” pointing instead to “the need for a strategic shift in the Mission’s posture.”

“UNMISS would suspend activities dedicated to extending State authority,” he added, as quoted by the UN Security Council media office.

The official was likely referring to long-running UNMISS programmes in development fields, such as efforts to demobilize and reintegrate retiring soldiers, build up law enforcement capacity, construct local government buildings and infrastructure, and provide training and education to civil servants.

Although Ladsous did not mention associated UN agency programming in these areas, his remarks signal a significant policy shift from New York which is likely to affect them as well.

However, UNMISS will not leave South Sudan but will instead focus on five other priorities, Ladous said: (1) protecting civilians; (2) facilitating humanitarian assistance;  (3) monitoring and reporting on human rights; (4) preventing further inter-communal violence; and (5) supporting the IGAD-led peace process.

“The protection priority would be for displaced people sheltering in United Nations compounds and other locations, and would expand once conditions were created for their safe return home,” he said.

Ladsous said the policy shift came partly in response to “a systematic and organized negative campaign against UNMISS” by national and local officials, suggesting it would impossible to continue supporting a government engaged in such aggression.

“Under such conditions, the Organization would need to consider drawing down staff and limiting its activities to the absolute minimum relating to protection, human rights monitoring and providing support for humanitarian assistance,” Ladsous explained. 

File photo: UN Korean Engineers detachment upgrading a road in Bor, Jonglei State, July 2013 (UNMISS)