October 26, 2016
The Abe Cabinet on October 25 decided to extend the Japanese Self-Defense Forces’ participation in UN peacekeeping activities in South Sudan by five months to March 2017. This decision was made in relation to the extension of the UN PKO mission there.
Meanwhile on the same day, the international human rights NGO Amnesty International published a report regarding the massive fighting between the South Sudanese government forces and rebel forces that broke out in July, revealing the government forces’ brutal and illegal acts of killing civilians, raping women, and looting property.
In the report, Amnesty International introduced witnesses’ testimonies that the government forces attacked residential areas using tanks and helicopters. It also stated that government soldiers abducted and killed men from the rebel leader’s ethnic group and raped women and girls of the same group.
The report pointed out that in the July battles, as the rebel troops ran into UN sites established to protect unarmed civilians, local refugees were used as a “human shield”. The human rights NGO criticized the UN for neglecting its responsibility to protect local residents.
It is obvious that the situation in South Sudan no longer meets the five requirements for the SDF’s participation in UN PKOs, including the conclusion of a cease-fire agreement between parties concerned. The need is for the Abe government to withdraw the SDF from South Sudan and drastically improve Japan’s humanitarian assistance policy based on Article 9.
Past related articles:
> Discovery of bullet in SDF camp indicates criteria not met to take part in PKO in South Sudan: JCP Inoue [April 1, 2016]
> Violence at UN camp in South Sudan verifies risk of SDF members ‘killing’ and ‘being killed’ in PKO missions [February 20, 2016]
> Condition no longer met for SDF to take part in PKOs in South Sudan due to collapse of ceasefire deal: JCP Inoue [September 10, 2015]
Meanwhile on the same day, the international human rights NGO Amnesty International published a report regarding the massive fighting between the South Sudanese government forces and rebel forces that broke out in July, revealing the government forces’ brutal and illegal acts of killing civilians, raping women, and looting property.
In the report, Amnesty International introduced witnesses’ testimonies that the government forces attacked residential areas using tanks and helicopters. It also stated that government soldiers abducted and killed men from the rebel leader’s ethnic group and raped women and girls of the same group.
The report pointed out that in the July battles, as the rebel troops ran into UN sites established to protect unarmed civilians, local refugees were used as a “human shield”. The human rights NGO criticized the UN for neglecting its responsibility to protect local residents.
It is obvious that the situation in South Sudan no longer meets the five requirements for the SDF’s participation in UN PKOs, including the conclusion of a cease-fire agreement between parties concerned. The need is for the Abe government to withdraw the SDF from South Sudan and drastically improve Japan’s humanitarian assistance policy based on Article 9.
Past related articles:
> Discovery of bullet in SDF camp indicates criteria not met to take part in PKO in South Sudan: JCP Inoue [April 1, 2016]
> Violence at UN camp in South Sudan verifies risk of SDF members ‘killing’ and ‘being killed’ in PKO missions [February 20, 2016]
> Condition no longer met for SDF to take part in PKOs in South Sudan due to collapse of ceasefire deal: JCP Inoue [September 10, 2015]
