December Issue

2 December 2017
UNITED KINGDOM
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“The UK stands ready to support the region’s work to
bring an end to the conflict and suffering in South Sudan”
Statement by Ambassador Jonathan
Allen, UK Deputy Permanent
Representative to the UN, at the
Security Council Briefing on South
Sudan. Mr President, time and time
again, we have voiced our despair at the
depths of the suffering of the people of
South Sudan. The scale of the numbers
is deeply shocking: one third of the population
have been forced to flee their
homes and more than half the population
lack enough food to feed themselves
and their families. And yet, the
parties to the conflict, including the
Government, continue to mount offensives
on innocent civilians. They are
deaf to the misery of their own people.
It is more important than ever that the
international community shows the people
of South Sudan that we will act
together to work for peace, even if
South Sudan’s leaders will not.
Innocent civilians continue to pay the
price for the failures of the political
elite, but President Kiir’s long overdue
decree ordering safe passage for humanitarian
agencies is welcome. We hope
that this will result in real improvements
in getting assistance to those that so desperately
need it. Because physical
restrictions, whether resolved or not,
represent just the tip of the iceberg, as
bureaucratic impediments including
costly registration fees, and delays in
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Columnists
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receiving permits, prevent
humanitarians from reaching
those most in need.
Like others, we are
extremely concerned that
UNMISS continues to face
significant restrictions of
movement, including
restrictions imposed by
Government forces. We are
particularly troubled by a
disturbing trend of harassment,
threats and physical
assault of UN staff. This
must stop immediately.
Those responsible will be
judged by their actions, not
their words.
Mr President, South
Sudan is at a cross roads.
Its leaders are being offered
a last chance to commit to
peace and demonstrate that they care for
their people and their country. They
have repeatedly failed to do so. Too
many times ceasefires have been
declared while gunshots continue to
ring out. But IGAD’s Revitalisation
Forum offers hope for the people of
South Sudan, and I would like to reiterate
the UK’s full support for this process
and to thank both IGAD and the African
Union for their hard work over recent
months. IGAD foreign ministers and the
UK is committed to eliminating
violence against women and girls
Excerpts of the speech
by the British Deputy
High Commissioner
Kolkata Bruce Bucknell
at the ‘International
Conference on Anti-
Human Trafficking’ in
Kolkata. Thank you for agreeing
to include us – the British
Deputy High Commission in
Kolkata – as a partner for this
event today. I congratulate Sister
Monica Suchiang – Director,
Kolkata Mary Ward Social
Centre and her team
for organising this
two-day conference.
And for bringing
together participants
from across India and
overseas. But I’m not
happy that we are discussing this
subject in the year 2017. It is an
abhorrent crime. Victims of
human trafficking are subject to
terrible mistreatment and
exploitation. Those who engage
in it don’t recognise the dignity
Special Envoy have actively reached
out to both the elites and civil society
across the region as part of their revitalization
process. The UK stands ready to
support the region’s work to bring an
end to the conflict and suffering in
South Sudan, and we welcome the
African Union Peace and Security
Council’s clearly worded communiqué
of the 22 of September 2017.
The international community must
use the full range of options to ensure
or worth of human beings.
People are not commodities. We
should bring to justice those who
perpetrate these crimes and
exploit other human beings,
often at the most vulnerable
points in their lives, for personal
or commercial gain. We should
not tolerate it. It’s not just about
individual human beings.
Human trafficking erodes the
security and cohesion of communities.
It undermines the prosperity
of nations.
Jeremy Corbyn personally briefed
on # FreeJaggiNow campaign
London – Last night the
Labour leader, Jeremy Corbyn
joined Shadow Chancellor John
McDonnell, Deputy leader Tom
Watson and 1,500 supporters at a
Budget rally in West Bromwich.
Sukhvinder Singh, an adviser
to the Sikh Federation (UK) and
Assistant Secretary General of the
Sikh Council UK shared a train
with Jeremy Corbyn as he travelled
from London to Birmingham
New Street. This provided
Sukhvinder Singh an ideal opportunity
to speak to Jeremy Corbyn
and provide a personal briefing on
the latest situation with regards to
the illegal detention and torture of
Jagtar Singh Johal by Indian
police. Jeremy Corbyn was concerned
with Indian police treatment
of the 30-year old Scot from
Dumbarton who has alleged
police torture. He expressed his
disquiet with the method of
abduction, the lack of access to
lawyers, British consular staff and
family for the first 10 days,
Jagtar’s allegations of third degree
torture, the fact he remains in
police custody rather than judicial
custody and the refusal to grant an
independent medical examination.
Jeremy Corbyn said he would discuss
the matter with Preet Kaur
Gill, the Chair of the All Party
Parliamentary Group for British
Sikhs and Labour MP for
Birmingham Edgbaston and try
and meet with Jagtar’s family and
campaigners early next week.
that all parties meaningfully and constructively
engage. This cannot be an
open-ended process that allows more
delays, leading to more suffering for the
people of South Sudan. As the African
Union communiqué says, it must be
clear that this is a final chance and that
there will be consequences for not
engaging. As a Council, we should
commit to return to this issue early in
the new year in order to consider
whether we have seen enough progress,
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whether there are individuals or parties
who are blocking peace, and be ready to
take appropriate action if so.
Given the fragile situation in South
Sudan, we are concerned that the
Government is considering running
elections next year. There is no possibility
that the conditions for good elections
will be in place next year. Seeking to
hold them when the conditions are not
right is likely to drive further conflict.
As the African Union and IGAD have
set out, the timelines in the Peace
Agreement must be revised to allow for
a conducive environment for holding
elections. The National Dialogue must
be held in support of the Revitalisation
of the Peace Agreement; it cannot provide
a solution in itself.
Mr President, I want to conclude by
reiterating our plea to the leaders of
South Sudan: Stop the violence and
engage meaningfully in the revitalisation
process. Stop blocking and impeding
UNMISS and the Regional
Protection Force. Stop attacks against
UN and humanitarian workers. And
stop denying humanitarian aid from
reaching your people. You are starving
them to death. Mr President, South
Sudan is at a cross roads. We should do
all that we can to support the region’s
efforts to ensure its leaders choose the
right path.