The commander of the UN force in South Sudan, Lt Gen Johnson Mogoa Kimani Ondieki, has been sacked following a damning report
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said on Tuesday that he was “deeply distressed” by “serious shortcomings” identified in a special UN probe and report completed by investigators led by a retired Dutch general, Patrick Cammaert,
According to a UN investigation into the UN peacekeeping mission in South Sudan (UNMISS), peacekeepers under Ondieki’s command refused to respond to an attack by government soldiers on a hotel in the capital Juba.
UN commander Lt Gen Johnson M Kimani Ondieki sacked by UN chief Ban Ki-moon for failure to protect civilians in Juba https://t.co/8wG4gzZzUj pic.twitter.com/qBNdB9FWGj— The Muthoka® (@MuthokaTito) November 1, 2016
“The Special Investigation found that UNMISS did not respond effectively to the violence due to an overall lack of leadership, preparedness and integration among the various components of the mission,” announced UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric.
At one point the UN Force Commander ordered the Chinese battalion’s commander to take charge of “all the forces at the UN House in addition to his own battalion,” according to the report.
South Sudan’s capital Juba endured three days of intense fighting from July 8-11 between President Salva Kiir’s troops and forces loyal to ex-rebel chief Riek Machar that left civilians, refugees and humanitarian workers caught in the crossfire.
At least 73 people were killed, including two Chinese peacekeepers and more than 20 internally displaced South Sudanese.
