U.N. peacekeepers stand guard at a
demonstration by people in Jebel, near South Sudan's capital Juba,
In
a highly insensitive move, Kenya has made good its threat to withdraw
more than 1,000 troops from South Sudan despite the worsening security
situation in Africa’s youngest nation. Already, more than 100 troops
arrived in the country last week, with 100 more expected in the coming
days.
Most
of the troops withdrawn had been deployed in hotspots of violence where
deaths, rape and fighting is the order of the day. A total of 995 of
the soldiers had been deployed in Wau, 166 in Aweil and 304 in Kuajok.
Essentially,
Kenya reneged on its mandate for humanitarian engagement, allowing
innocent lives to be lost. Since the war broke out in South Sudan in
2013, more than 2.5 million people have fled their homes due to the
brutal conflict. Out of these, 1.6 million are internally displaced,
while more than 830,000 have sought safety in neighbouring countries –
mainly Ethiopia, Kenya, Sudan and Uganda.
Since
the historic declaration of independence by South Sudan in 2011, the
country has remained divided. In December 2013, it descended into civil
war when disagreements between the president and vice president led to
fighting among government soldiers in the capital, Juba. The violence,
which later spread across the country, left thousands of people dead and
hundreds of thousands displaced.
Cases
of human-rights abuse have been rampant, with women and children
bearing the brunt of it all. A report by the African Union cited rampant
violation of basic rights, with civilians routinely raped, killed,
dismembered, and even forced to eat and drink human flesh and blood.
Tens of thousands of people are still sheltering in United Nations
compounds, too afraid to return home.
Reports
indicate that women have been raped and beaten by both government and
opposition soldiers; thousands of houses have also been burnt down.
Civilians are killed simply because of their ethnicity or perceived
political alliances the ongoing conflict. Whole towns have been
ransacked and essential civilian infrastructure looted, including
clinics, hospitals, and schools.
Kenya’s
decision, which has been harshly criticised by the official opposition
coalition CORD through its leader Raila Odinga, effectively abandons a
fellow member state of the East African Community. Moreover, Kenya’s own
peace and security is obviously affected negatively by a crisis in a
neighbouring country.
It
is instructive that the EAC Secretariat and other partner states have
remained silent on the issue. When a member, Kenya in this case, negates
on its mandate to promote peace within the bloc, should other partner
states remain unconcerned?
The
withdrawal of the troops, who were seconded to the United Nations
Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS), came in response to the dismissal of
Kenyan Lieutenant-General Johnston Mogia Kimani Ondieki, the Force
Commander of UNMISS.
Ondieki
was dismissed by Ban Ki-moon, the UN Secretary General, following an
“Independent Special Investigation into the violence which occurred in
Juba in 2016 and UNMISS response.” According to the report, the violence
caused the deaths of many civilians, two peacekeepers, and led to the
collapse of the fragile peace agreement between the President Salva Kiir
and his former first vice president Dr Riek Machar.
Investigators
attributed the shortcomings to “lack of leadership on the part of key
senior mission personnel, which culminated in a chaotic and ineffective
response to the violence.”
Quite
unfortunately, President Uhuru Kenyatta reacted with anger to the
dismissal, saying that the mission had failed in its mandate and
resorted to scapegoating Kenyans.
But
whatever the reasons that led to Kenya’s troop withdrawal and
regardless of the circumstances that led to the lieutenant general’s
sacking, the innocent people of South Sudan continue to die as the world
watches.
Already,
there is an ongoing crisis in the health sector, with doctors in South
Sudan staging a three-day strike every week to protest the poor working
conditions, lack of medicines and poor security for doctors. There have
been increased attacks by frustrated patients and their families, and
the doctors have refused to perform non-emergency duties until their
demands are met. Naturally, this has made a bad situation worse.
The
lives and safety of regional citizens takes precedence over any
diplomatic row. All partner states must actively participate in bringing
about a peaceful resolution to the conflict in South Sudan. Withdrawing
troops isn’t part of that solution.