UNITED NATIONS, Oct. 17 (Xinhua) -- UN Undersecretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations Jean-Pierre Lacroix on Tuesday expressed concern over the dire security and humanitarian situation in South Sudan and the lack of progress in the political process.
The security and human rights situation in the country remain grave as fighting continued in various parts of the country, said Lacroix in a briefing to the UN Security Council.
The humanitarian situation continued to deteriorate as a result of fighting and an increasingly challenging operating environment for humanitarian aid delivery, he said. The government's security institutions as well as opposition forces continue to restrict the UN mission's freedom of movement, he noted.
"Despite a highly effective humanitarian operation that has reached millions with life-saving assistance, without a reduction in conflict and improved access, humanitarian indicators are likely to continue to deteriorate," he warned.
More than 2 million people have fled the country since the start of the conflict in 2013 and another 1.9 million people are displaced within the country, he said, warning that further displacement can be expected and any significant return of refugees or internally displaced people remains unlikely.
With regard to the political process, Lacroix said that the conflict is a direct outcome of a prolonged disproportionate access to power and wealth. He said that all future dispensations must therefore rest on the principle of inclusiveness that leads to equitable power and wealth-sharing. He added that South Sudan has been held hostage to personality politics and conflicts and that all processes and international support must strive to build institutions so that politics shifts from ownership by individuals to those institutions that are accountable to the people of South Sudan.
He said the conflict in South Sudan is a man-made conflict for which the leaders of the country bear a direct responsibility.
