South Sudan conflict 'complex' to resolve, says UN

PHOTO | AFP Soldiers from South Sudan's army patrol the streets of Malakal in the Upper Nile State of South Sudan on December 31, 2013.

What you need to know:

  • Earlier on Tuesday, a UN spokesman said that unexploded cluster “bomblets” were recently found about 16 km south of Bor.
  • Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda are among the 108 nations that have signed a Convention on Cluster Munitions that prohibits the use, transfer or stockpiling of these weapons. Sudan and South Sudan are yet to sign the convention.

NEW YORK

The conflict in South Sudan will not be resolved quickly, the head of United Nations peacekeeping operations warned on Tuesday.

“It's going to be a very complex and long process to address all the deep roots of this very great crisis,” Under Secretary General Herve Ladsous told reporters following the UN Security Council's closed-door discussion on Sudan and South Sudan.

“It is important that the international community express total support for Igad,” Mr Ladsous added in reference to the mediation and ceasefire monitoring efforts being carried out by Kenya and other members of the Inter-Governmental Authority on Development.

CLUSTER BOMBLETS

Earlier on Tuesday, a UN spokesman said that unexploded cluster “bomblets” were recently found about 16 km south of Bor.

“Cluster bombs are unreliable and indiscriminate, with their sub-munitions causing potential long-term danger to civilians and vehicles,” spokesman Martin Nesirky said.

But in a quick rejoinder, Nesirky said the UN has no evidence of cluster bombs actually being used in South Sudan.

Unexploded "bomblets" can kill or maim civilians long after a conflict has ended. They scatter over a wide area.

Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda are among the 108 nations that have signed a Convention on Cluster Munitions that prohibits the use, transfer or stockpiling of these weapons. Sudan and South Sudan are yet to sign the convention.