Ban Ki-moon warns of spread of crisis in South Sudan to other states

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Wednesday warned that the political crisis in South Sudan risks spreading to other states, calling on Juba to resolve it through political dialogue. "This is a political crisis, and urgently needs to be dealt with through political dialogue. There is a risk of this violence spreading to other States, and we have already seen some signs of this," Ban told reporters here. Expressing "deep concern" about the current situation in the newly independent country, Ban said: "I count on President Salva Kiir's leadership at this critical moment." He also called on Juba to cooperate "fully" with the UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) as it fulfills its protection mandate, including in the provision of basic relief to civilians in need and in conducting human rights investigations into allegations of human rights abuses in recent days. He added that he also spoke to Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni because of his role as regional leader. Ban recalled that he also spoke to President Kiir on Tuesday, urging him to do everything possible to end the violence, ensure respect for human rights and the rule of law and to resume dialogue with the political opposition. "I welcome the reports this morning that President Salva Kiir is willing to enter into such talks," Ban said with satisfaction. He also said that his Special Representative in Juba, Hilde Johnson, remains in constant contact with the Government and others with influence on these issues, and that she conveyed his messages to President Kiir again today. "It is essential to protect the human rights of all those who are detained. Mandated human rights monitors must have full access to visit the detainees. Security forces must operate in full compliance with international humanitarian law," he stressed. He noted that UNMISS has received reports of many people being killed and injured. "We are in the process of verifying the reports," he said, adding that close to 20,000 civilians sought refuge in the UN two compounds in Juba, as well as several hundred in Jonglei. His spokesman Martin Nesirky later told the daily press briefing that according to the Johnson, the situation has "calmed down to some degree today. " In answer to questions, Ban said there is no need to send extra UN troops to Juba to establish order. "We have UNMISS there, so it is not a question we are considering at this time. We are using all possible political influence including my own engagement and my Special Representative Hilde Johnson "who has been spending recent days and nights addressing these issues." President Kiir declared to the South Sudanese people on TV earlier this week that the crisis was prompted by an attempted coup conducted by soldiers loyal to the former Vice-President Riek Machar. South Sudan, mostly Christian, became independent from Sudan, mostly Muslim, in July 2011, under a 2005 peace agreement that ended their civil war that lasted for decades.