South Sudan: Demonstrators protest outside United Nations compound without incidents

Dozens of people in South Sudan may have cholera, the United Nations children’s agency on Wednesday announced, saying it is working with partners to step up its operations to avoid a possible cholera outbreak in the country.

Over 272 people have died in South Sudan since renewed fighting broke out in Juba between forces loyal to President Salva Kiir and first Vice President Riek Machar last week.

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon urgred the leaders of South Sudan to sit together and make firm commitment that they will work as one team, both President and the First Vice President.

Britain’s move, Reuters reported, was done without consulting the UN.

The officers were in the capital, Juba, to support efforts to build a police force when violence erupted between rival factions earlier this month, leaving hundreds of people dead.

The German U.N. mission confirmed that it had evacuated seven police serving with the U.N. mission, UNMISS, and said that the United Nations had been notified orally and in writing beforehand.

“We judged their temporary removal was necessary for the officers’ safety”.

UNMISS is concerned by these developments, which are a clear violation of the Status of Forces Agreement signed with the Government, and which are preventing the United Nations from implementing its mandate in the country, said Haq.

The UN memo severely criticized Britain in particular as a Security Council member for the decision to pull its police officers from South Sudan at a time when the peacekeepers were confronted with the flareup of violence. Sweden was recently elected a member of the council for 2017-18.

Information minister Michael Makuei said this week he had no comment on Taban’s arrest and he was not responsible for the arrest of any South Sudanese, journalist or not.

Referring to Britain specifically, the memo continues: ‘This also raises the question of their merits to hold a permanent seat at the Security Council and mandating others on how to handle peace and security issues when they themselves are quick to abandon their post in challenging situations’.

The draft memo said the United States had also reportedly planning to pull out nine police, but a spokesman for the US mission said there were no plans to withdraw police.