US to withdraw military aid to S. Sudan as tension escalates
February 28, 2014 (JUBA) - The United States has reportedly taken a
decision to withhold its military aid to war-torn South Sudan, despite
officials in the new nation saying it had not been notified about the new
development.
[image: JPEG - 28.1 kb] *A U.S. Special Forces trainer supervises a
military assault drill for a SPLA unit conducted in Nzara on the outskirts
of Yambio November 29, 2013. (Photo Reuters/Andreea Campeanu)*
The spokesperson of South Sudan's foreign affairs ministry told Sudan
Tribune on Friday that it has not received any official communication from
the US or its affiliated financial institution about reports that the
latter had decided to withhold military aid to the conflict-ridden East
African nation.
"There is no official communication that I know from the government of the
United States notifying the government of the Republic of South Sudan about
its decision to withhold any assistance," said Mawien Makol.
The official was reacting to reports that President Barak Obama's
administration had decided to withhold military aid to the new nation and
transfer some of that money to the Intergovernmental Authority on
Development (IGAD) in support of the ceasefire monitoring efforts.
Several officials and activists as well as experts on South Sudan and Sudan
testified on Wednesday before the congress that the current developing
political and security situation in the two countries require immediate
attentions and actions through strong engagements.
Ambassador Donald Booth declared in testimony to a House of Representatives
panel that "business as usual" must cease in the case of strife-torn South
Sudan.
"As one sign of this", he said, "I would note that our security assistance
to South Sudan is not going forward at this time, and that some of it is
being re-programmed to support the regional verification mission."
The top US envoy did not, however, specify the amount of US funding being
transferred to the ceasefire monitoring and verification initiative being
carried out by IGAD, a regional bloc that consists of Sudan, Ethiopia,
Kenya, Uganda, Djibouti and Somalia as its seven founding members. Eritrea
was admitted in 1993, but was suspended in 2007.
South Sudan, which seceded from Sudan in 2011, became an IGAD member the
same year it joined the United Nations and African Union bodies.
The envoy also did not indicate how much funding for South Sudan's army and
police is being withheld by the US, though the research arm of the US
Congress notes that aid to South Sudan's security sector has totaled more
than $300 million during the past 10 years.
In his remarks on Wednesday, Ambassador Booth criticised the performance of
South Sudan government, pointing out authorities in Juba "attempted to
contain inter-communal violence without fully committing to the hard work
of addressing its causes, which include trauma from decades of war,
economic disparity, historical grievances between communities, human rights
abuses, and political grievances due to real or perceived
under-representation."
"On top of this", Booth noted, "the government had also progressively
reduced the space for political competition, within and outside the ruling
party, and for independent media and civil society voices to be heard."
He endorsed the efforts by IIGAD, which is presently mediating the talks
between the government and the rebels, who defected in mid-December, to try
to resolve the conflict in the youngest nation.
"Their premise, one with which I agree, is that the government must not be
given the space to return to business as usual with a quick fix and
political accommodations for the main protagonists, for the simple reason
that this will not bring about a sustainable peace".
Meanwhile, John Prendergast, a leading US human and civil rights activist,
also testified before the House Subcommittee on Africa, Global Health,
Global Human Rights, and International Organizations on the developing
situation Sudan and South Sudan.
Prendergast is a Co-founder of the Enough Project, an advocacy group which
aims to prevent, war and crimes against humanity as well as genocide. He
told the hearing that mass atrocities, war crimes and crimes against
humanity are being committed in both countries under the cover of war.
"Although the headlines for the last two months have been dominated by
conflagration in South Sudan, conditions in Sudan's Darfur region have
deteriorated, and the [Sudanese] government's bombing campaigns have
intensified in the Nuba Mountains and Blue Nile", he said.
"The potential for a complete interruption in oil production threatens
economies in both countries with implosion and bankruptcy. Conflict has
interrupted the planting season, and with the rainy season fast
approaching, humanitarian crises are spiraling out of control in both
countries," added the activist.
Prendergast argued the US government to consider targeted sanctions as one
instrument to create some accountability for the commission of war crimes
and undermining of peace efforts.
"The African Union has already put targeted sanctions on the table for
South Sudan, and the US should do so as well. If the UN Security Council is
not amenable to utilizing this tool, the US should work with interested
countries to deploy them in coalition with others", he said.
Prendergast visited the South Sudanese capital, Juba and Bor one of the
areas most affected by the conflict at the beginning of February.