South Sudan accuses US, UN of plotting intervention force mandate

South Sudan on Wednesday accused the UN and US of plotting to put the government under UN trusteeship by revising the mandate of the protection force that was agreed by regional countries.

Government spokesman Michael Makuei alleged the existence of the scheme to put the war-torn, impoverished country under UN trusteeship, citing the August 7 draft on renewal of the mandate of the UN Peacekeeping Mission in South Sudan (Unmiss).

"Unfortunately, the US draft decided to put this protection force under Unmiss again, even though we had agreed that as government we would agree on contributing countries, armaments, mandate and funding," Xinhua news agency quoted Makuei as saying.

His remarks came after Washington proposed extension of the Unmiss mandate until December 15, deployment of more 4,000 strong troops to beef up the 12,000 Unmiss force on ground and arms embargo targeting both parties to the conflict.

"And as a result because they want the republic of South Sudan to be brought to its knees, the US decided to come up with the zero draft on the mandate of the Unmiss in South Sudan," he said.

The government spokesman disclosed that the US picked up the idea of the protection force and decided to give it the mandate of an intervention force.

"Nobody has a right to take away our sovereignty. If it is to be imposed then that will be a different language all together. Our members of the region and those who have been pressing for this intervention should know that South Sudan is not an exception and only country in crisis right now in the region," he said while rejecting the proposal by the Americans.

The UN trusteeship proposal gained currency in the wake of the recent July violent fighting in Juba, between rebel troops Sudan People's Liberation Army in opposition led by ousted first vice president Riek Machar and troops loyal to President Salva Kiir.

--IANS

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