Peacekeeping in South Sudan

Transcription

1 Peacekeeping in South Sudan

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3 Peacekeeping in South Sudan One Year of Lessons from Under the Blue Beret Robert B. Munson

4 peacekeeping in south sudan Copyright Robert B. Munson, Softcover reprint of the hardcover 1st edition All rights reserved. First published in 2015 by PALGRAVE MACMILLAN in the United States a division of St. Martin s Press LLC, 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY Where this book is distributed in the UK, Europe and the rest of the world, this is by Palgrave Macmillan, a division of Macmillan Publishers Limited, registered in England, company number , of Houndmills, Basingstoke, Hampshire RG21 6XS. Palgrave Macmillan is the global academic imprint of the above companies and has companies and representatives throughout the world. Palgrave and Macmillan are registered trademarks in the United States, the United Kingdom, Europe and other countries. ISBN ISBN (ebook) DOI / Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Munson, Robert B., Peacekeeping in South Sudan : one year of lessons from under the blue beret / Robert B. Munson. pages cm Includes bibliographical references. ISBN United Nations Peacekeeping forces South Sudan. 2. United Nations Armed Forces South Sudan. 3. Peacebuilding South Sudan International cooperation. 4. Peace-building South Sudan. 5. Security, International Sudan International cooperation. 6. Munson, Robert B. 7. Armed Forces Officers. I. Title. JZ6374.M '3 dc A catalogue record of the book is available from the British Library. Design by Amnet. First edition: May

5 I dedicate this book to the five UNMISS soldiers from the Indian Army killed in an ambush in the South Sudanese state of Jonglei on April 9, I had visited their battalion and they received me warmly, but we did not know each other. The incident, though, brought into sharp focus the dangers of peacekeeping and for one year we were comrades-in-arms. Lt. Col. Mahipal Singh Warrant Officer Shiv Kumar Pal Sergeant Bharat Sasmal Sergeant Heera Lal Private Nand Kishore Joshi I also dedicate this to my family for sharing me with the United Nations and the people of South Sudan. They gave me wonderful support from across the ocean and a warm home to look forward to returning to: my wife, Laura, my daughters, Amy and Sarah, and my son, Robert.

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7 Contents List of Maps and Figures Acronyms and Abbreviations Introduction and Acknowledgments ix xi xiii 1 As a Guinea Pig in South Sudan 1 2 Does the United States Do Peacekeeping? 9 3 Why Are We Here? 25 4 There Is No Intelligence in the UN: Working for UNMISS 35 5 J-5: Where Hope Was (Often) a Plan 49 6 Does PoC Mean Protection of Cattle? 61 7 Two Flags, Two Perceptions: Life in UNMISS 75 8 Living an UNMISS Life in Juba and South Sudan 87 9 UN-English and Other Curious Habits Christianity Does Not Stay in the Church I m Here, They Are There Tying It All Together 133 Notes 151 Bibliography 163 Index 167

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9 List of Maps and Figures Map 3.1 South Sudan Regional Map 26 Map 4.1 UNMISS Force Deployment in South Sudan 39 Figure 4.1 UNMISS Organization 36 Figure 4.2 UNMISS Force Structure 38

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11 Acronyms and Abbreviations CCC CoS CPA DFC DoD DDR DPKO ECS FAO IFDC JP LDP MLO MSA NATO NCO NGO OCHA PoC RBB SAF Confident Children out of Conflict (an NGO) Chief of Staff Comprehensive Peace Agreement Deputy Force Commander Department of Defense Disarmament, Demobilization, and Reintegration [United Nations] Department of Peacekeeping Operations Episcopal Church of Sudan and South Sudan foreign area officer name of an NGO, once meant International Fertilizer Development Center [Department of Defense] Joint Publication long-duration patrol military liaison officer mission support allowance OR mission support area North Atlantic Treaty Organization noncommissioned officer nongovernmental organization [United Nations] Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs Protection of Civilians Results Based Budgeting Sudanese Armed Forces

12 xii Acronyms and Abbreviations SAF/IA SDP SPLA SPLM SRSG SSNPS SSP TOB UN UNMIS UNMISS UNPOL UNSCR USAF UNAMID USAID USMOG-W Secretary of the Air Force/International Affairs short-duration patrol Sudanese People s Liberation Army Sudanese People s Liberation Movement Special Representative to the Secretary General South Sudanese National Police Service South Sudanese Pound ( exchange rate approximately 1 SSP = US$.25) temporary operating base United Nations United Nations Mission in Sudan United Nations Mission in South Sudan United Nations Police United Nations Security Council Resolution United States Air Force UN African Union Mission in Darfur United States Agency for International Development U.S. Military Observers Group Washington

13 Introduction and Acknowledgments South Sudan and Juba became my home for a year. I was deployed, working for the U.S. Air Force and representing the United States but also serving with the United Nations. I wore a U.S. military uniform along with a blue beret, both of which became part of my identity. The one year in the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) was the best assignment I have had in the military. Being away from my family for one year was not fun. However, I enjoyed working in a peacekeeping operation, on a multinational staff with its personnel and leadership challenges. This came along with the chance to influence the course of history in South Sudan as a new, independent nation. This book reflects on that experience, taking the opportunity to tell some stories and preserve something for the future as any historian would like to do, based on my service in South Sudan. I served in the middle of the hierarchy, neither at the top nor at the bottom a solid position in middle management. I was high enough to get insight into the top decision-making levels but also low enough to have honest experiences with a wide variety of people across the mission. This is my story, one among many. I would never claim that this is the final word on the subject. Hopefully others will reflect on my or similar experiences, thoughts, and words. Perhaps they will be able to carry out their duties, whatever they may be, more effectively because of what I have written. Nevertheless, the story I am telling here comes from my UNMISS life stretching from May 2012 to May Perhaps this operation echoes other UN operations closely, perhaps it doesn t; I do not claim to represent all United Nations peacekeeping missions. I am not writing a general study of UN peacekeeping; I m giving an account of my journey, my observations, and my analysis. I worked with many wonderful people; I enjoyed their companionship, their conversations, their challenges, and the coffee and beer we drank together. Nevertheless, I left South Sudan before the nation started to tear itself apart in December I left South Sudan hopeful about its future, and I remain optimistic that the spasm of violence will pass. As a historian, I have learned to take a long-term view. I met many wonderful people,

14 xiv Introduction and Acknowledgments not least many South Sudanese, who were working for the good of the new nation. Hopefully their efforts will prove successful in the end. This work ultimately comes from my perspective as an American, an Air Force officer, a man, a Christian, and myself. The experiences and views are my own: what I heard, saw, and read. I have tried to reproduce these as accurately as possible. Others may have different opinions and memories, and I apologize for any mistakes, omissions, or slights. I worked with great people, and I value their perspectives and ideas, but this is based on mine. I have changed the names of my friends and colleagues, other than those in the highest positions. The people I worked with were very important to me, but I will let them tell their own stories if they want or remain silent if they prefer. Many of them are in the military like I am so I want to let them remain as anonymous as possible, if they so prefer. I owe a debt of gratitude to many who helped contribute to this book whether indirectly through our shared experiences or directly with the writing. First, thanks go to my colleagues in UNMISS J-5, all of whom I name indirectly and whose time I valued greatly during my year in South Sudan. As the J-5 chief, I had the pleasure of leading and learning from a great bunch of guys. I am most grateful to Oberstleutnant Gregor Hornig from the German Army with whom I served and who patiently read the manuscript (some parts twice), providing encouragement, corrections, and often a different perspective. Thanks to two American friends in South Sudan, Amy Millican and Larry Duffee, who introduced me to the country and provided a connection back home. I am also grateful to my colleagues in the Pentagon, specifically in SAF/IA, who greeted me when I returned. Of these, I especially thank Peter Podbielski who read my manuscript and provided many useful comments based on similar experiences in the U.S. Army and Joe Bradley who reviewed sections of the work. Thanks also to Edwina Campbell, formerly of Air University, Charlotte Ku, University of Illinois, and Karen Finkenbinder of the Peacekeeping and Stability Operations Institute (Army War College), all who reviewed sections and provided good advice along the way. In South Sudan, the UNMISS Cartographic Office helped me immensely, and, after my return, the UN Cartographic Section at the UN Headquarters in New York City kindly supplied me with the UNMISS Force Deployment map (Map 4.1) used in this book. Finally, I am especially grateful to all those others I served with in UNMISS and to the people of South Sudan, many who welcomed me in friendship and shared with me their experiences and their new country. My year in UNMISS and South Sudan may be long past, but the South Sudanese along with many international friends are still building their country and prove that the past never really is gone (as any historian knows).