Nan Yang
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The U.S. Helped Birth South Sudan. Now Americans Are Being Beaten and Targeted by Its Troops.
A brutal assault on American and other foreign aid workers in Juba marks a new low for a supposed U.S. ally and the state of U.N. peacekeeping.
The rape and beating of American and Western aid workers in the South Sudanese capital of Juba by government soldiers has struck a devastating blow against two of President Barack Obama’s signature foreign-policy efforts: reforming the United Nations’ troubled peacekeeping program and standing up a stable government in the world’s newest country.
The horrific July 11 attacks on the Terrain hotel facility mark a grim moment in a long-standing U.S. effort to help South Sudan build a functioning state after gaining its independence from the Arab-dominated Sudanese government in Khartoum. The violence highlighted the degree to which South Sudanese President Salva Kiir has evolved from a valued U.S. friend to the leader of a rampaging army that has now targeted American nationals.
“The U.S. and the U.N. gambled on close relations with Salva Kiir, and it turns out that Salva Kiir in an untrustworthy partner who hates the U.N. and increasingly hates the U.S.,” said Richard Gowan, an expert on U.N. peacekeeping operations at the European Council on Foreign Relations.
In the assault last month, uniformed South Sudanese troops singled out Americans for abuse and beatings, shot dead a local reporter while forcing foreign nationals to watch, carried out mock executions, and gang-raped several foreign women, according to a report by The Associated Press, which cited interviews with multiple witnesses on the ground.
The grim details of the attack have raised questions about why the nearby U.S. Embassy didn’t send American troops to rescue those trapped at the hotel — and why Washington kept silent about the incident for more than a month until it was revealed by the AP’s report.
More...
http://foreignpolicy.com/2016/08/16...-are-being-beaten-and-targeted-by-its-troops/
A brutal assault on American and other foreign aid workers in Juba marks a new low for a supposed U.S. ally and the state of U.N. peacekeeping.
The rape and beating of American and Western aid workers in the South Sudanese capital of Juba by government soldiers has struck a devastating blow against two of President Barack Obama’s signature foreign-policy efforts: reforming the United Nations’ troubled peacekeeping program and standing up a stable government in the world’s newest country.
The horrific July 11 attacks on the Terrain hotel facility mark a grim moment in a long-standing U.S. effort to help South Sudan build a functioning state after gaining its independence from the Arab-dominated Sudanese government in Khartoum. The violence highlighted the degree to which South Sudanese President Salva Kiir has evolved from a valued U.S. friend to the leader of a rampaging army that has now targeted American nationals.
“The U.S. and the U.N. gambled on close relations with Salva Kiir, and it turns out that Salva Kiir in an untrustworthy partner who hates the U.N. and increasingly hates the U.S.,” said Richard Gowan, an expert on U.N. peacekeeping operations at the European Council on Foreign Relations.
In the assault last month, uniformed South Sudanese troops singled out Americans for abuse and beatings, shot dead a local reporter while forcing foreign nationals to watch, carried out mock executions, and gang-raped several foreign women, according to a report by The Associated Press, which cited interviews with multiple witnesses on the ground.
The grim details of the attack have raised questions about why the nearby U.S. Embassy didn’t send American troops to rescue those trapped at the hotel — and why Washington kept silent about the incident for more than a month until it was revealed by the AP’s report.
More...
http://foreignpolicy.com/2016/08/16...-are-being-beaten-and-targeted-by-its-troops/
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