Near Verbatim Transcript of
Media Briefing by the Special Representative of the Secretary-General of the United Nations
and Head of the United Nations Mission in South Sudan
Mr. David Shearer
Juba Conference Room
UNMISS Tomping Site – Juba – 16 November 2017

Opening Remarks:
Good morning and thanks for attending this press conference … it’s good to see you again. I would like to update you on three key issues today; my meeting with President Kiir this week regarding the Paul Malong issue; the renewal of the UNMISS mandate and the Protection of Civilians sites that were established by the Mission. I’d also like to comment briefly on a recent trip I took to Akobo. [Meeting with President Kiir] I met President Kiir on Tuesday afternoon, one of our regular meetings; where we discussed the successful resolution of the Paul Malong situation. I’d like to take this opportunity to praise the role played by the Concerned Citizens’ Committee for Peace, which acted as a mediator between Mr Malong and the Government.

Throughout these negotiations, UNMISS has been in contact with a broad range of people involved in the situation. I have been in constant contact with the acting chairperson of the committee, Dr Francis Deng – whose diplomatic abilities were instrumental in bringing about a peaceful conclusion to this issue. This peaceful conclusion came down simply to the choice of putting South Sudan and stability in Juba before all other concerns. We are grateful for the statesman-like way in which the situation was resolved. The President and I also touched on the importance of the presidential order he has just issued on humanitarian access. This, we hope, will better serve the interests of the 6.2 million South Sudanese who need relief aid of one sort or another by ensuring that humanitarian agencies are actually able to get to them. We will, as usual, continue to monitor progress. In addition, we discussed what is known as the Strategic Review. A review team is due to arrive from UN Headquarters in New York at the end of the month, to look at the situation in South Sudan and to consult with a wide range of people, including the government, the international and humanitarian communities as well as UNMISS.