The UN under-secretary-general for peacekeeping operations, Herve Ladsous, on Wednesday called upon the UN Security Council to give a stronger mandate for the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) against a backdrop of the current unstable security situation in the world's youngest country.
In his briefing to the UN Security Council on South Sudan, Ladsous said that the securing freedom of movement for the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) "remains an uphill battle" as security forces limit the mission's movement every step of the way.
He proposed that the UN Mission there be extended until the end of August to allow a rapid assessment on the need for a stronger mandate. The current mandate of UNMISS will expire on July 31.
The 15-nation UN body is expected to adopt a resolution to renew the mandate of UNMISS later this month.
"The current situation in the country remains fluid and uncertain," Ladsous said. "The secretary-general's recommendation for a technical roll-over of the UNMISS mandate remains valid and necessary, while we conduct an assessment of the requirements to address the situation on the ground."
The temporary arrangement should be for one month to give the UN Secretariat time to do a quick assessment, consult the region and the African Union and make recommendations to the Security Council, he said.
The clashes between government and opposition forces took place in Juba, the capital of South Sudan, leaving some 272 people, including 33 civilians, killed on Friday.
Ladsous said that UNMISS had been able to conduct limited patrolling again to assess the security situation, and the safety and security of personnel and assets at United Nations compounds.
He urged the South Sudanese government to allow UNMISS and humanitarian actors freedom of movement and access to provide vital assistance to the affected civilian population.
Ladsous said that, as of Wednesday, humanitarian partners are estimating that at least 42,000 civilians have been displaced by the fighting in Juba. Seven thousands of those are accounted for at the two UNMISS compounds and the remaining approximately 35,000 are sheltering between the World Food Programme compound, non-governmental organization (NGO) compound and several churches in the city.
Meanwhile, he expressed great concern about the potential for the resumption of violence and spill over into other parts of the war-torn country.
The country again plunged into conflict in December 2013 after President Salva Kiir accused his deputy Riek Machar of plotting a coup, which the latter denied, leading to a cycle of retaliatory killings.
President Salva Kiir and former rebel leader and now First Vice President Machar signed a peace deal in August that paved way for the formation of the transitional unity government to end more than two years of civil conflict.
