PRESS CONFERENCE BY SOUTHERN SUDAN DEPUTY HUMANITARIAN COORDINATOR

PRESS CONFERENCE BY SOUTHERN SUDAN DEPUTY HUMANITARIAN COORDINATOR

It was a critical year for southern Sudan’s new Government as it tried to become credible on the ground at the central and state levels, the United Nations Deputy Humanitarian Coordinator for Southern Sudan, David Gressly, told correspondents at a Headquarters press conference today.

Describing the situation in southern Sudan and the status of United Nations operations there, he said the people of southern Sudan had expectations that, after 20 years of war, they would start to see the dividends of peace.  Those expectations would need to be managed as the Government lacked some of the basic tools to deliver, even though it had some resources from oil revenues, he added.  The situation would also be linked to the ability to maintain basic services on the ground.

Institutions in Juba were extremely weak and almost non-existent in the state and counties, he said.  As the new constitution gave a great deal of autonomy to the State, support of the State and their institutions would be critical.

The Comprehensive Peace Agreement, signed in January, had led to a process of establishing a Government in southern Sudan, which was progressing steadily with the swearing in of a President of the south and Vice-President in July.  Unfortunately, the President of the south had died in a helicopter accident in July, leading to an early transition to Salva Kiir, as the President of the south and the Vice-President of Sudan. 

The transition, which, in the view of many, had gone very well, had led to the formation of the Government of southern Sudan and the establishment of State capitals and governors, he said.  The south now had a constitution and an interim assembly.  The United Nations had worked as quickly as possible to set up its operations, first in Rumbek, the initial capital, and had subsequently moved to Juba in August, where it was currently located.

In 2005, the United Nations focus had been on two critical issues, namely returns and the provision of basic services, he said.  There were some four million people displaced from southern Sudan, of which about half a million had returned in 2005.  Some 700,000 were expected to return in 2006.

Regarding the provision of basic services, he said south Sudan was unique in terms of the lack of support services and infrastructure available on the ground.  There was almost nothing there in terms of roads, telecommunications and building infrastructure.  Being operational and providing services was a significant challenge.  The international community had provided almost all of the available services.

Looking to 2006, the new Government would face a number of challenges, he said.  One of the more immediate ones was the current disruption caused by the Lords Resistance Army (LRA), which was operating in a broad band in southern Sudan, from the Ugandan border across to the Democratic Republic of the Congo.  The LRA had spread its operations considerably over the last two to three months, disrupting humanitarian operations in those areas and continuing to be a threat to hopes for development and recovery activities.

Other areas of concern included increased ethnic tension in the western Equatoria area in the last two months, which was disrupting the United Nations ability to deliver assistance there, he said.  The United Nations had expected to initiate significant recovery activities in those areas in 2006, but those activities had been deferred.  And while the United Nations had hoped to repatriate a number of refugees from the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Central African Republic, those repatriations had also been deferred.

The United Nations had, however, greater access in other parts of southern Sudan than in the past, particularly in the upper Nile area, he added.  That area had been hit particularly hard over the last 10 years due to the large number of militia groups operating there.  From a political point of view, the integration of those groups in 2006 would be a significant challenge for the new Government.

Currently in an embryonic state, the new Government was basically starting from scratch, he said.  While it had set up ministries, those ministries lacked the basic tools needed to carry out governmental functions, including in the areas of the treasury, procurement and payroll.  Putting such systems in place in 2006 would remain a challenge.

A drop-off in humanitarian assistance next year would lead to a significant reduction in basic services at a time when the United Nations hoped to see an increase in those services, he said.  In terms of social service delivery, southern Sudan was at the lowest level of any country in Africa and a further drop-off would create a humanitarian crisis.  In that regard, he urged the international community to support humanitarian activities in south Sudan, while increasing recovery and development activities.

The United Nations had recently launched in Geneva an appeal for the Sudan, including an appeal for the south of some $560 million for the humanitarian sphere, he said.  It was also planning for $220 million worth of assistance in terms of recovery and development.  In 2005, the United Nations had received half of what had been appealed.  He hoped for a greater percentage in 2006.

On the issue of funding, he said there were two new tools, including the establishment today of a common humanitarian fund, which would allow the humanitarian coordinator to better direct resources.  The fund would allow the United Nations to focus on areas that had historically not received a great deal of assistance, including the upper Nile, and would be used to target communities receiving a large number of returns.  The second was the establishment of the multi-donor trust fund, which had signed its first grant agreement at the end of November to provide emergency support in terms of health, water and education, as well as institutional support to the state and central governments. 

While the United Nations agencies were now in place in Juba, at the senior management level they were looking forward to non-governmental organization colleagues to join them in Juba to support the new Government and to leave Nairobi where they are currently based.

With the “army of terror” and the lack of basic services, how could the United Nations possibly encourage 600,000 refugees to return? a correspondent asked.

Responding, he said the United Nations was not actually encouraging them to return in those numbers.  While the United Nations wanted to support those who were returning on a voluntary, spontaneous basis, it was not encouraging those numbers.  Assisted returns would be limited in the upcoming return season.  The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees was expecting to support the return of some 140,000 refugees, but that assumed that the conditions in Equatoria returned to the conditions that they were earlier in 2005.  Whether the returns were actually carried through, depended on the conditions on the ground.

What was the hope of the people as far as agriculture? a correspondent said.  In general, south Sudan was very well endowed with the resources to be self-sufficient in food.  It was more a question of markets and roads.  There were very few all-weather roads, with only about six kilometres of paved road in the south.  One of the major objectives of the World Food Programme was to put in place an emergency road access programme.  Most of the funding for that was secured.  That should permit the free movement of agricultural produce.

Asked about a food shortage in southern Sudan, he said that while south Sudan had the agricultural potential to be self-sufficient, to realize that potential, the areas with high agricultural potential needed to be opened up so that surpluses could be transported out.  Currently, most food assistance was delivered by air at a very high expense.  It was the Equatoria region in the extreme south that had the potential to provide for the rest of southern Sudan.

In light of media reports that the LRA was targeting relief workers, did Mr. Gressly have hopes that relief workers would return to Juba? a correspondent asked.  Responding, he said he had high hopes in that regard.  Juba was not directly affected by the problem.  The majority of the south was open and accessible.  Having lived in southern Sudan for the last year with no problem, he could say it was a secure area for the United Nations to operate in, by and large. 

The United Nations was extremely concerned, however, about the band along border of southern Sudan where that activity was taking place, he added.  In that regard, it was necessary to distinguish between the larger security situation which had actually improved in 2005, and the specific security concerns along the border with the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda.

* *** *

For information media • not an official record