The Minister of Information and Broadcasting and Spokesperson of the Government of the Republic of South Sudan stated on Friday, April 19, 2014, that the people killed in the attack on the UN compound in Bor the previous day were ‘rebels’ who committed the ‘intolerable’ act of celebrating the fall of Bentiu, which was captured from government forces last Tuesday.

At least 60 people were killed in the attack on the base of the UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) on Thursday morning when armed gunmen, some of them in uniform, overran the base perimeter and opened fire on the population of 5,000 ethnic Nuers who live inside the base under UN protection.

The attackers, who afterwards were described by Jonglei government officials as Dinka Bor youth, were furious that the displaced people inside the UN base had celebrated the rebel victory in Bentiu with chanting and singing.

Speaking at a joint press conference with two other ministers on Friday, the Government Spokesperson and Minister of Information and Broadcasting, stated, “The genesis of the problems goes back to the recapture of Bentiu town by the rebels.”

“The IDPs (displaced persons) inside UNMISS camps celebrated the recapture of Bentiu by the rebels. This action amounted to making a provocation because the youth cannot tolerate this,” he said.

“One major problem is that, the UNMISS fails to control the IDPs who are in their compound – their mandate is to protect the people wherever they are. And UNMISS did not stop the IDPs in their camps from celebrating the event, which means they are rebels,” added the Government Spokesperson and Minister of Information and Broadcasting.

“UNMISS failed to control these internally displaced people so that they abide by and respect the ground rules of the camp. Not only that but they should also avoid provocative actions that may provoke others,” said the Government Spokesperson and Minister of Information and Broadcasting.

Opposition-linked people at UN bases ‘intolerable’

Other media have confirmed the statements made by the Government Spokesperson and Minister of Information and Broadcasting. The local Catholic Radio Network stated, “Michael Makuei Lueth advised United Nations Mission in South Sudan, UNMISS, not to shelter armed IDPs in its camps.”

“He warned that accommodating armed IDPs linked to the opposition forces in UNMISS compound was unacceptable and intolerable,” the radio network reported.

Voice of America quoted the government spokesperson as saying, “In other words, anybody who celebrates successful operations being conducted by the rebels against the government... is a rebel, and we cannot continue to accommodate rebels inside UNMISS compounds and allow them to celebrate or do whatever they want.”

The minister, who hails from the western Jonglei region where the attack took place, last January demanded an apology from the UN after visiting the same UN base. He was furious that his bodyguards were prevented from accompanying him when he sought to enter the camp. The guards were reported to have threatened UN staff after they were refused access to the camp.

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon afterwards released a statement from New York condemning the incident as an attempted forced entry by government officials. He said he was particularly disturbed over threats made to UN staff by armed soldiers.

Warning shots

At the press conference on Friday, ministers of the South Sudanese government faulted UN peacekeepers for provoking youth who attacked the UN camp. The UN soldiers had firing warning shots into the air to disperse the large group of armed civilians who had gathered outside the base.

“You don’t stop a moving mob with gunshots if you know that they are armed," the government spokesman said. “In fact, it is this gunshot which provoked the situation,” said the Government Spokesperson and Minister of Information and Broadcasting.

Interior Minister Aleu Ayieny Aleu faulted what he said was the peacekeepers' lack of training, saying that by firing shots into the air, they lit the fuse under the attack. "Trained soldiers or trained peacekeepers or trained law enforcement agencies -- once you know that fellow is armed, you don’t control by shooting in the air," Aleu said.

UNMISS has said Thursday's events were an unprovoked assault launched by a large group of armed civilians who showed up at the gates of the compound in Bor “under the guise of peaceful demonstrators intending to present a petition to UNMISS.”

When the group was refused entry to the compound, “the armed mob forced entry into the site and opened fire on the internally displaced persons sheltering inside the base,” UNMISS said.

The government of the United States, one of the UN Security Council members, disclosed Thursday in a statement that the attackers used rocket-propelled grenades to breach the compound. Once inside, they opened fire on the nearly 5,000 displaced persons living in the compound.

UNMISS spokesman Joseph Contreras said that the attack continued for around half an hour before peacekeepers managed to drive off the assailants, according to a report by Voice of America. 

Photo: Victims of the attack on the UNMISS compound, 17 April 2014