logo
South Sudan: UN evacuation attempt disrupted by deadly shooting

South Sudan: UN evacuation attempt disrupted by deadly shooting

BBC News07-03-2025

Several people have died in South Sudan after an attempt by the UN to evacuate members of the national army came under fire, the UN has said.One crew member died when a UN helicopter was shot at, a statement from its mission in South Sudan (Unmiss) said. It added that an injured South Sudanese general and several other troops were also killed during the evacuation attempt in the Upper Nile state.South Sudan President Salva Kiir said that a second UN helicopter managed to take off after the attack, only to crash land, killing all passengers on board.The UN has not confirmed Kiir's comments, but it did say the attack on the first helicopter "may constitute a war crime".
Weeks of fighting in Upper Nile has threatened an already fragile peace deal between President Kiir and Vice-President Riek Machar.In 2013, a rift between the pair sparked a five-year civil war, during which 400,000 people were killed and 2.5 million forced from their homes.A peace agreement was signed in 2018 but the situation has been fraught ever since.The ongoing fighting in Upper Nile is between the armed forces and the White Army, an ethnic militia that was allied with Machar during the war.In agreement with the White Army and South Sudan's army, Unmiss has been evacuating wounded troops from the conflict zone.Unmiss head Nicholas Haysom said in a statement that the attack on his mission's personnel was "utterly abhorrent and may constitute a war crime under international law. We deeply regret the tragic loss of our colleague and express our sincere condolences to his loved ones."We also regret the killing of those that we were attempting to extract, particularly when assurances of safe passage had been received."President Kiir said the army general who died in the attack was Gen Majur Dak, who led the forces stationed in Nasir, a region in Upper Nile.Alongside the fighting, a slew of arrests has sparked concerns that South Sudan may see a return to war.A number of Machar's allies, including the oil minister and a high-ranking army general, were detained earlier this week.After Friday's attack, Kirr urged the nation to "remain calm"."I have said time and again, that our country would not go back to war. Let no-one take the law into their own hands. The government, which I lead, will handle this crisis," he said.South Sudan is the world's newest nation, after seceding from Sudan in 2011.
You may also be interested in:
Mystery in South Sudan after sacked spy boss mired in gun battleCurfew and deaths in South Sudan after revenge attacks on SudaneseSalva Kiir: South Sudan's president in a cowboy hat
Go to BBCAfrica.com for more news from the African continent.Follow us on Twitter @BBCAfrica, on Facebook at BBC Africa or on Instagram at bbcafrica

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Jersey becomes first non-member of United Nations to host humanitarian aid meeting
Jersey becomes first non-member of United Nations to host humanitarian aid meeting

ITV News

time29 minutes ago

  • ITV News

Jersey becomes first non-member of United Nations to host humanitarian aid meeting

Jersey has become the first non-member of the United Nations (UN) to host international talks, addressing humanitarian aid for those in crisis. The island was selected to co-chair the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) Pooled Fund Working Group (PFWG) to discuss how smaller donors can reach the most severely affected countries through a coordinated approach. Officials from across the globe have joined discussions which include key decisions on how taxpayers' money in Jersey can provide life-saving support. Edward Lewis, Executive Director of Jersey Overseas Aid, explains: "Jersey is seen in the international sector; they wouldn't come here if they didn't think we had something to say and something to contribute. "The whole idea is widening the donor base and getting a broader constituency, which is really important in terms of having an effective response. "And for the next couple of days at least, Jersey is going to play a leading role." Currently, the island allocates approximately 0.3% of its budget to overseas aid - more than £17 million. Jersey Overseas Aid has also sent more than £7 million of aid to countries including Sudan, Syria, and Ukraine since 2016. David Throp, Chief of the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), says: "The system as a whole has been going through financial difficulties. "We have seen cuts from big players, such as the Americans and other big European countries; every pound helps us save another life. "By putting the money together, we can do something bigger, better, more thought-out, and more influential on the beneficiaries and populations we're trying to assist. "Jersey has been very good at bringing leadership to the discussions. The island has been punching above its weight in guiding us." Alice Armanni-Sequi, one of the senior UN officials, says she's enjoyed the talks in Jersey so far, adding that getting the pooled funds right is vital for those in need. She explains: "We cover a range from food, shelter, health services, water, which is so critical and nutrition. "The list goes on, but the formula will depend on the location, so the great thing about the pooled funds is that we can really come up with the right recipe at the local level that really represents what people need." David adds: "Most of the funds, in particular the larger funds, are located in some of the more protracted emergencies. "We do have countries like the democratic Republic of Congo, Sudan, South Sudan, Afghanistan, the occupied Palestinian territories, where it is not a sudden onset and a quick finish - a more fundamental structural problem in the society. "The good thing about the model is that we can put these funds in place and phase them out as and when needed, depending on the changes in the situation." Mazen Fadhl Maddi represents the Field Medical Foundation (FMF) Yemen, and knows first hand how overseas aid is a lifeline for those who need it. He explains: "It saves lives. I have seen it personally - I have gone to the camps. "We are also giving communities resilience. The money translates into a lot of sectors, a lot of assistance, such as food assistance and nutrition. We have huge numbers of acute malnutrition in Yemen." Chair of Jersey Overseas Aid Commission, Carolyn Labey, says that while Jersey's contribution increases in line with the island's GDP, contributions can go further. She says: "We have connected our budget to GDP, so when the economy grows, our budget grows. "Our budget is currently fixed at 0.3% of GDP, and that isn't quite the OECD average, which is 0.36%. "The overall aim is to reach 0.7%, but there is a way to go there." The States of Guernsey aims to allocated 0.2% of its budget to overseas aid by 2030, however it is not part of the Pooled Fund Working Group, hence why no officials are attending this weeks meeting.

United Nations experts call for Starmer's Chagos deal to be suspended
United Nations experts call for Starmer's Chagos deal to be suspended

The Independent

time2 hours ago

  • The Independent

United Nations experts call for Starmer's Chagos deal to be suspended

Keir Starmer is facing humiliation on the international stage after experts at the United Nations (UN) called for his controversial deal with Mauritius on the Chagos Islands to be suspended. UN special rapporteurs Nicolas Levrat, KP Ashwini, Bernard Duhaime, and Bina D'Costa have slammed the agreement, which hands back sovereignty of the archipelago to Mauritius and leases back the UK-US military base on Diego Garcia for £101m per year for 99 years, for failing to protect the rights of Chagossians. It follows Sir Keir's government moving rapidly last month to prevent a High Court appeal against the treaty by representatives of the Chagossian community, who had opposed the deal. Now, the prime minister is under pressure from critics on all sides to suspend the deal just weeks after he signed it with Mauritius. The attack from the UN comes as the Tories have tabled legislation in parliament to block the deal from coming into law. In a statement on Tuesday the UN experts said: 'By maintaining a foreign military presence of the United Kingdom and the United States on Diego Garcia and preventing the Chagossian people from returning to Diego Garcia, the agreement appears to be at variance with the Chagossians' right to return, which also hinders their ability to exercise their cultural rights in accessing their ancestral lands from which they were expelled.' They added: 'In light of these significant concerns, we call for the ratification of the agreement to be suspended and for a new agreement to be negotiated that fully guarantees the rights of the Chagossian people to return to all islands of the Chagos Archipelago, including Diego Garcia. This includes their right to adequate and effective remedy and reparations, including restitution, satisfaction, and guarantees of non-repetition, as well as their cultural rights.' The deal is also being criticised in the UK for potentially undermining the UK/US base on Diego Garcia, which is seen as crucial to western defence. While the government claimed that the overall cost would be £3bn for the taxpayer, critics have estimated that over the 99-year lease period, it will cost £30bn potentially eating up the extra spending on the defence budget. Sir Keir and Foreign Secretary David Lammy have maintained that they had to do the deal because a ruling by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) that the islands should be handed back to Mauritius threatened the existence of the crucial military airbase. They warned that the UK would face a number of legal challenges which could make the operation of the base of Diego Garcia impossible. The deal was signed after Donald Trump gave it his blessing, despite lobbying from Nigel Farage. But the UN experts were highly critical of the government's refusal to properly engage with Chagossians who have been made homeless by their removal from Diego Garcia and the impact of the deal. They said: 'We are gravely concerned about the lack of meaningful participation of Chagossians in processes that have led to the agreement.'

Two Israeli ministers sanctioned by UK for ‘inciting extremist violence'
Two Israeli ministers sanctioned by UK for ‘inciting extremist violence'

South Wales Argus

time3 hours ago

  • South Wales Argus

Two Israeli ministers sanctioned by UK for ‘inciting extremist violence'

Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich, Israel's security minister and finance minister respectively, will be subject to a travel ban and asset freeze. The UK is taking the action to ramp up pressure on Israel alongside Australia, Canada, New Zealand and Norway. Mr Lammy said the two Israeli ministers had been 'inciting violence against Palestinian people for months and months and months, they have been encouraging egregious abuses of human rights'. In a joint statement with foreign ministers from the four other countries who have announced sanctions, the Foreign Secretary said the two senior Israelis had also incited 'serious abuses of Palestinian human rights'. The statement added: 'These actions are not acceptable. This is why we have taken action now – to hold those responsible to account.' Mr Smotrich and Mr Ben-Gvir both belong to right-wing parties which help to prop up Benjamin Netanyahu's fragile coalition government. Both have been criticised for their hardline stance on the war in Gaza. Mr Smotrich has campaigned against allowing aid into Gaza, and also supported the expansion of Israeli settlements in the West Bank, which are considered illegal under international law. Meanwhile, Mr Ben-Gvir has called for Gaza's people to be resettled from the territory. Asked if the Israeli government's actions in the Palestinian territories amounted to ethnic cleansing, Mr Lammy told reporters at the Foreign Office: 'I was clear to the House of Commons back in September that we did believe that there was a clear risk of a breach of international humanitarian law, and that's why we made a decision to suspend arms (sales). 'Today we are making a decision also to stand against those who encourage abuses of human rights, also to stand against those who encourage violence against Palestinian people.' The Foreign Secretary did not directly answer when asked why similar action had not been taken against Mr Netanyahu, and called on the Israeli government to 'disavow and condemn' the language used by the two ministers. David Lammy (Carlos Jasso/PA) Asked whether the UK would encourage Mr Netanyahu to sack the ministers, Mr Lammy said: 'The Israeli government will make their own determination.' But from the UK's perspective, he said: 'We have to be clear that we act when we see these egregious individuals encouraging – encouraging – abuses of human rights in this way.' The UK and its allies have increased pressure on Israel in recent months amid ongoing aid shortages in Gaza, as well as suggestions it could launch a new large-scale offensive into the territory. Reports suggest only scarce amounts of aid are making it into the hands of Gazans, amid a new aid initiative backed by the US and Israel, which has replaced the previous UN-run programme. The slow flow of food and medicines has prompted warnings of famine and starvation among the territory's population. In May, Mr Lammy paused negotiations towards a UK-Israel trade deal as the Government sought to pressure Israel to abandon its planned offensive into Gaza. Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, France's President Emmanuel Macron and Canada's Prime Minister Mark Carney also wrote a joint statement last month warning that Israel's leaders risked 'breaching International Humanitarian Law', and calling for more aid to be allowed into Gaza. Mr Netanyahu responded by claiming the three leaders were on the 'wrong side' of history. In September last year, the Government halted 30 out of around 350 arms sales licences to Israel, for fear they may be used for war crimes. Ministers insist that this means F-35 fighter jets used by Israel no longer receive replacement parts from the UK, and no British-made bombs or ammunition are used in Gaza. Lord David Cameron has previously said he considered sanctioning both Israeli ministers in his final days as foreign secretary in Rishi Sunak's Conservative government.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into the world of global news and events? Download our app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store