Conselho de Segurança da ONU necessita de ser reestruturado

Un officiel déplore l'absence de volonté politique pour la réforme du Conseil de sécurité de l'ONU - Le président de l'assemblée générale de l'ONU, John Ashe (Antígua e Barbuda, foto)

, a déploré au cours d'une conférence de presse, jeudi à New-York, 'l'absence de volonté politique' au sein des Etats membres pour procéder à la réforme du Conseil de sécurité de l'ONU, qui traîne depuis longtemps. Les négociations inter-gouvernementales sur la réforme du Conseil de sécurité, a-t-on appris de source bien informée, ont duré 20 ans et les questions essentielles en discussion incluent la catégorie de membre, la question du veto, la représentation régionale et la taille du Conseil élargi. Les autres points portent sur les méthodes de travail du Conseil et ses relations avec l'Assemblée générale de l'ONU. 'Je ne fais aucune prédiction pour l'avenir, mais vos enfants auront le temps de grandir avant que cette question ne soit résolue', a prévenu M. Ashe. Le président de l'Assemblée, qui a passé en revue les trois premiers mois de son mandat, a aussi déploré que rien n'a été fait en ce qui concerne la réforme du Conseil de sécurité de l'ONU durant les années de négociation. 'Tous les concernés parmi lesquels les membres permanents, conviennent de la nécessité de réformer le Conseil de sécurité. En fait, les idées ne manquent pas sur la manière de le faire', a-t-il souligné. Selon M. Ashe, il ne fait aucun doute que tout président de l'Assemblée générale aimerait conduire cette réforme du Conseil de sécurité et le fait qu'il ait résisté jusqu'à présent montre l'ampleur de la tâche. Soulignant que cela n'insinue pas que cette situation devrait dissuader, M. Ashe a également affirmé que bien qu'il n'y ait pas de 'remède miracle' pour résoudre ce problème, lui et son staff n'ont pas l'intention d'accorder toute leur attention à cette question. Pour ce faire, le président a exhorté les Etats membres de l'ONU à parvenir à un consensus afin d'impulser la nécessaire volonté politique pour réaliser la réforme tant attendue du Conseil de sécurité. Le Conseil de sécurité, note-t-on, compte 15 membres dont 5 membres permanents dotés d'un pouvoir de veto. Il s'agit de la Chine, de la France, de la Russie, du Royaume Uni et des Etats Unis d'Amérique. Les autres 10 membres non-permanents sans droit de veto sont élus pour un mandat de deux ans. Pana 21/12/2013

Sudão do Sul: A descida aos infernos dos assassínios étnicos

New evidence is emerging of alleged ethnic killings committed during more than a week of fighting in South Sudan. The violence follows a power struggle between President Salva Kiir, a Dinka, and his Nuer ex-deputy Riek Machar. A reporter in the capital, Juba, quoted witnesses as saying more than 200 people, mostly from the Nuer ethnic group, were shot by security forces. Another man in Juba said gunmen from the majority Dinka ethnic group were shooting people in Nuer areas. The fighting first erupted in Juba last week and has spread throughout South Sudan, with rebels supporting Mr Machar seizing the major towns of Bor and Bentiu, north of the capital. Mr Kiir has accused Mr Machar, who he sacked in July, of mounting a coup. Mr Machar denies he is trying to seize power, while the government has denied it is behind any ethnic violence. The BBC's James Copnall explains the fighting gripping the world's newest state, South Sudan - in 60 seconds The fear is that the personal rivalry between the former allies will spark a full-scale conflict between the Nuer and Dinka groups. 'Eyewitness account' Hannah McNeish, a journalist in Juba, told the BBC that she had interviewed a man called Simon, living at a UN camp, who said he was shot four times but managed to survive a mass killing by hiding under dead bodies. "He tells of being rounded up with about 250 other men, driven to a police station in one of Juba's busiest suburbs. He describes an ordeal whereby over the course of two days, forces outside the windows fired into this room, killing all but 12 men," she said.

McNeish said this account had been corroborated by two other survivors at the camp. Another man interviewed at the UN base in Juba reported that Dinka gunmen were shooting people in Nuer districts who did not speak the Dinka language. UN humanitarian co-ordinator Toby Lanzer, who was in Bor over the weekend, told the BBC he had witnessed "some of the most horrible things that one can imagine". The claims of atrocities have not been independently verified. 'Face the consequences' The official death toll stands at 500, but aid agencies say the true figure is likely to be much higher. Another 81,000 people have been displaced, the UN's humanitarian agency says, with about half seeking shelter at UN bases. It warned many more people could be affected in more remote areas. The UN has 7,000 soldiers deployed in South Sudan, but on Monday, Secretary General Ban Ki-moon urged the Security Council to reassign another 5,500 troops from UN missions in other African countries, including Liberia and the Democratic Republic of Congo. Ban Ki-moon: "The world is watching all sides in South Sudan" He also asked for hundreds more police, three attack helicopters, three transport helicopters and one military transport plane. He has said all reports of human rights violations and crimes against humanity will be investigated and those responsible held accountable. Two Indian peacekeepers were killed last week in a rebel raid on a UN compound. President Kiir has said he is willing to hold talks with Mr Machar - and that a delegation of East African foreign ministers had offered to mediate - but that his former deputy would have to come to the table without any conditions. Mr Machar told Reuters news agency that he was open to dialogue if his political allies were released from detention. Sudan suffered a 22-year civil war that left more than one million people dead before the South became independent in 2011.

Bissau: Frágil para além de 2050

By Jakkie Cilliers and Timothy D. Sisk It is true for Mali and Somalia. But not for Burkina Faso or Kenya. To be labelled a ‘fragile state’ is not something any country in Africa welcomes. The category implies that a country is unable to borrow on the market and faces stringent conditionalities put in place by international financial institutions such as the World Bank. It carries the stigma of incapacity and lack of progress; of poverty, violence and poor governance. Despite the welcome news of ‘Africa rising’, new research shows that ten African states will remain fragile for much longer than previously anticipated. In a recent policy paper, Africa’s 55 countries have been classified as either ‘more fragile’ or ‘more resilient’. By 2050 more than 1 billion people, about half Africa’s population, are forecast to be living in ‘more fragile’ countries. Yet this number could be reduced to only 372 million, or 16% of the continent’s population, with the right interventions. In compiling the list of the 26 ‘more fragile’ countries, the most recent harmonised list of 19 conflict-affected and fragile countries used by the African Development Bank and the World Bank was employed as a starting point. Seven other countries that repeatedly showed up on other lists of fragility and state failure were added to this. The key characteristics of this group of 26 ‘more fragile’ countries were then analysed to see which could exit from the fragility syndrome over time, and what effect changes in violence, governance, poverty and exclusion would have.

However, others in the original grouping – Eritrea, Liberia, Rwanda and Sierra Leone – should exit from the fragility syndrome between 2030 and 2050. The remaining 12 countries in the original group of 26 – Burundi, Cameroon, Chad, Côte d’Ivoire, Ethiopia, Guinea, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Uganda and Zimbabwe – might shake off the label of fragility by 2030 or even earlier. A fragile state is one in which armed conflict and violence threaten the lives of the country’s citizens and prevent them from making a decent living. It is a state where inequality and exclusion are rife, with the majority of the population remaining poor, despite its having rich natural resources in many cases. It is also a country with very poor governance, where the state is often simply absent and doesn’t provide basic services such as schools, hospitals and roads. All these factors are often present at the same time; an explosive cocktail of problems that trap countries in constant fragility. Clearly, conflict zones are particularly fragile. They are caught in a vicious circle in which instability prevents people from undertaking normal economic activities and prevents the state from functioning as it should. In other words, it undermines development and governance. This, in turn, creates poverty and state weakness, which provide fertile ground for more conflict. Experts agree that old wars lead to new ones. A country with a history of armed conflict is more likely to slide back into war than one that has never experienced it. Recent events in Mozambique, hitherto seen as a poster child for development, show how deeply embedded conflict and instability can be, with violence erupting even after several decades of relative peace. Unsurprisingly, Sudan, South Sudan, Somalia and the DRC are all trapped in conflict situations that are very difficult to untangle. The data gathered for this study clearly indicates that there should be a greater commitment to peacebuilding and development in the war-ravaged Horn of Africa and the Great Lakes region, where the majority of ‘more fragile’ countries are located. History certainly can’t be swept under the carpet in the discussion about fragile states. One must keep in mind, for instance, that the delayed process of state formation in Africa’s more fragile countries is taking place in a rushed and sometimes chaotic way. Three historical processes of state formation are evident from studies on Europe and elsewhere – the consolidation of state security, building of state capacity and the transformation to greater inclusion. In other parts of the world these processes took place over a long time, but they are happening simultaneously in Africa. The process is open-ended and the state is constantly being challenged by the impact of globalisation. Ultimately, the process of moving from greater fragility to greater resilience is deeply political. It is, after all, essentially about ‘defining and redefining the relationship between the government and its citizens’ within a specific territorial unit. Fortunately, state fragility is not cast in stone. With the necessary domestic ownership, leadership and external support, more countries can move from being more fragile towards greater resilience. In this process, the benefits in higher GDP and income per capita that appropriate policies could hold for each of the 26 more fragile countries are quantified. Innovations that have worked elsewhere in Africa could be put in place in fragile states to better the lives of their citizens. Countries like Ethiopia, Malawi, Liberia, Sierra Leone and possibly Niger could in the near future get important windfalls from newly discovered oil and gas resources. If some of the associated income were distributed in the form of cash grants to the poorest of the poor, this could raise their standard of living to such an extent that they could become productive and hopefully taxpaying citizens. This in turn could strengthen the state. If governments don’t spread the wealth, they should be brought to book and named and shamed by international initiatives such as the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative and Publish What You Pay. These also force private companies and multinationals to play the game and help build a better Africa. International donors and financial institutions like the African Development Bank and the World Bank have a role to play in lifting the most fragile countries out of a perpetual state of crisis. However, it is necessary to have good data on what is really going on in many of these less frequented locations in order to draw up effective strategies. The analysis referred to here is based on the best data available internationally, but much of that data is outdated and may even be misleading. So-called ‘big data’ can help by filling the gaps in our existing system of knowledge. Certainly fresh ideas are needed in this difficult and long-term process to help Africa’s most vulnerable states, and the study concludes with a series of recommendations that seek to address some of the more common challenges. This is a cross-post from ISS Africa. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Jakkie Cilliers, Executive Director, ISS and Timothy D. Sisk, Professor of International and Comparative Politics, Josef Korbel School of International Studies, University of Denver.

Sudão do Sul: A fuga dos norte-americanos

(CNN) -- All Americans who presented themselves at the United Nations camp in Bor, South Sudan, were evacuated safely Sunday amid deadly violence in the country, the State Department said. A State Department official said about 15 Americans were flown out. U.S. personnel are working to confirm that no other U.S. citizens remain in Bor in need of evacuation, a State Department official said. "This morning, the United States -- in coordination with the United Nations and in consultation with the South Sudanese government -- safely evacuated American citizens from Bor, South Sudan," State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said in a statement. "U.S. citizens and citizens from our partner nations were flown from Bor to Juba on U.N. and U.S. civilian helicopters. The United States and the United Nations, which has the lead for securing Bor airport in South Sudan, took steps to ensure fighting factions were aware these flights were a humanitarian mission." Four U.S. troops injured in South Sudan "The U.S. government is doing everything possible to ensure the safety and security of United States citizens in South Sudan. We are working with our allies around the world to connect with and evacuate U.S. citizens as quickly and safely as possible," Psaki said. The United Nations moved noncritical staff out of South Sudan's capital, Juba, across the border into Uganda on Sunday, as the violence spread inside the world's newest country. U.N. civilian staff were moved from a compound in the flashpoint town of Bor to Juba on Saturday, the same day a U.S. mission to airlift Americans out was aborted when the aircraft came under fire. U.S. President Barack Obama said in a letter to congressional leaders Sunday that 46 U.S. service members took part in the mission, and he noted he "may take further action to support the security of U.S. citizens, personnel and property, including our Embassy, in South Sudan." Four U.S. troops were wounded in the attack in Bor and were expected to be moved to the U.S. military hospital at Landstuhl, Germany, a senior U.S. official told CNN earlier Sunday. One of the injured "went through some pretty serious surgery" after being taken to Nairobi, Kenya, for wounds from the gunshots fired at the aircraft. All four have been able to speak to their families. Thousands displaced Hundreds of people have been killed in a week of fighting, which has spread from Juba to oil fields farther north. South Sudanese President Salva Kiir blamed soldiers loyal to his former vice president, Riek Machar, for starting the violence. Up to 40,000 civilians have taken refuge in United Nations bases in the country, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said Sunday. "There are many more thousands of people who are very much in fear and vulnerable, and at this time, the priority of the United Nations is to (protect) the lives of civilians," Ban told a news conference in the Philippines. The U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs estimates some 62,000 people have been displaced in total, with five of South Sudan's ten states affected by the violence. The U.N. has said some 20 people were killed during an attack Thursday by about 2,000 armed youths on a U.N. peacekeeping base in Jonglei state. Two Indian peacekeepers were also killed. After the attack, the assailants fled with arms, ammunition and other supplies, the U.N. said. 'We will not be intimidated' In a statement Sunday, the U.N. said it had made the decision to relocate noncritical staff from Juba to Entebbe, Uganda, as "a precautionary measure to reduce pressures on its limited resources," while still providing assistance and shelter to more than 20,000 civilians who have gathered at its compounds in the capital. The U.N. Mission in South Sudan is planning to reinforce its military presence in Bor and Pariang, the organization said. Plans are also under way to relocate all noncritical staff from the U.N. compound near Bentiu in Unity state, and reinforcements will also be sent in. "We are not abandoning South Sudan. We are here to stay, and will carry on in our collective resolve to work with and for the people of South Sudan," U.N. envoy Hilde F. Johnson said in the statement. "To anyone who wants to threaten us, attack us or put obstacles in our way, our message remains loud and clear: we will not be intimidated." Ban said the U.N. would "transfer our assets from other peacekeeping missions," such as the one in the Democratic Republic of Congo and other areas, to the troubled country. "We also seeking support from other key countries who can provide the necessary assets," he said. "We are in shortage of capacity. When the United Nations compound was overrun by 2,000 armed elements, we were having difficulties." Echoing calls from Western governments, Ban urged an end to the violence and called on Kiir and Machar "to come to the table and find a political way out of this crisis." "They are responsible to the people of South Sudan to end the crisis and find the political means of addressing their differences," he said. Ban said he had dispatched a special representative to Juba to work with the U.N. envoy in the city. Washington is also sending an envoy. Tensions have been high in South Sudan since July, when Kiir dismissed Machar and the rest of the Cabinet. The move inflamed tensions between Kiir's Dinka community and Machar's Nuer community. South Sudan formally split from Sudan in 2011 after a referendum, following decades of conflict. Numerous armed groups remain active in the oil-rich country.

Bissau: Guiné, país de muitos tráficos

A comissão de inquérito ao incidente que se verificou com um voo da TAP no qual 74 sírios viajaram com passaportes falsos de Bissau para Lisboa concluiu que foi precisamente o ministro do Interior do Governo de Transição, António Suka Ntchama, a pessoa que “exigiu” o embarque dos passageiros, que já antes tinham passado por Marrocos. De acordo com o relatório da comissão de inquérito, só parcialmente divulgado, “houve de facto uma intervenção directa” do ministro, que alegou “motivos de segurança interna”, não especificados, para a saída dos sírios do território guineense, pelo qual têm passado tráficos de vária espécie. Segundo o documento, algo contraditário, “não houve (porém) coacção nem física nem armada em relação à tripulação da TAP, nem ao chefe de escala” da companhia aérea. A ordem do embarque dos 74 sírios teria sido dada pelo director-geral de escalas das delegações da TAP em África, a partir de Lisboa, possivelmente para que o aparelho não ficasse retido no aeroporto de Bissalanca. Na sequência deste incidente, que representa a falta de um Estado de Direito na Guiné-Bissau, a TAP suspendeu os voos para esse país, com grande transtorno para largas centenas de pessoas. O próprio ministro da Justiça, Saido Baldé, que presidiu à comissão de inquérito, reconheceu que o Aeroporto Internacional Osvaldo Vieira, em Bissalanca, a alguns quilómetros de Bissau, está a ser utilizado "por uma rede internacional" de tráfico de imigrantes. Mas disse que os guineenses vão pedir à TAP que retome os voos directos para território guineense. Este episódio, numa altura em que o recenseamento eleitoral se está a processar de uma forma muito lenta, nada indicando que possa terminar dentro de três ou quatro semanas, levanta sérias dúvidas sobre a possibilidade de na Guiné-Bissau se gerar um ambiente propício a que haja mesmo eleições presidenciais e legislativas no mês de Março de 2014. Nem os militares que têm a última palavra sobre tudo o que se passa em solo guineense, nem o Presidente interino Manuel Serifo Nhamadjo nem o Governo de transição, chefiado por Rui Barros, parecem minimamente interessados em que antes de quatro meses o povo possa escolher livremente quem é que o deverá dirigir. O próprio dr. José Ramos-Horta, representante especial do secretário-geral das Nações Unidas, Ban Ki-moon, desistiu do tom esperançoso que há meses colocava nas suas intervenções, mostrando-se agora claramente céptico quanto à hipótese de eleições gerais serem concretizadas entre Março e Abril. O antigo Presidente timorense confessou há dias a sua impotência, ao reconhecer que a ONU está demasiado preocupada com outras situações, como a da Síria ou a da República Centro-Africana, para se ralar demasiado com o que acontece na Guiné-Bissau, uma espécie de quintal ignorado pela maior parte dos executivos mundiais. Enquanto assim for, enquanto não houver um punhado de guineenses de boa vontade que tenha a firme determinação de acabar com o actual estado de coisas, e que consiga meios para o fazer, o pequeno país criado há 40 anos pelo PAIGC vai continuar refém de umas Forças Armadas eivadas de defeitos e de um lote de políticos ambiciosos e corruptos que pouco mais vêem do que o seu próprio interesse. O mais provável, portanto, é que durante os próximos quatro meses continuemos a não ter notícias particularmente boas da Guiné-Bissau. Jorge Heitor

Sudão do Sul: As esperanças malogradas

En quelques jours, le Soudan du Sud a basculé sur la pente de la guerre civile. Sur fonds de rivalités politiques internes, de vieux conflits ethniques menaçant de se réveiler et d'enjeux pétroliers colossaux... Décryptage d'une situation explosive. Aux origines de la crise actuelle Le Soudan du Sud est le plus jeune État du monde. Il a été officiellement fondé le 9 juillet 2011, après avoir arraché son indépendance au Soudan, à l’issue de plus de vingt ans d’une guerre civile dévastatrice (1983-2005). Plus de dix millions de Sud-Soudanais se détachaient alors de la tutelle de Khartoum, grâce à un référendum d’autodétermination prévu par des accords de paix signés en 2005. Deux ans après la sécession, malgré un récent rapprochement entre les gouvernements des deux pays, les relations entre Djouba et Khartoum restent très délicates, en particulier lorsqu’il s’agit de départager la production pétrolière (voir plus bas). À l’intérieur des frontières sud-soudanaises, la situation générale est loin des espoirs soulevés par l’acquisition de l’indépendance, en 2011. Malgré la rente pétrolière – le Soudan du Sud dispose de 75 % des réserves de l’ancien Soudan -, le niveau de pauvreté reste très élevé et le pays dépourvu d’infrastructures de base (routes, hôpitaux, écoles…). Côté politique, les grandes promesses de renouveau du président Salva Kiir n’ont pas été réalisées. Selon plusieurs organisations humanitaires, les violations des droits de l’homme se multiplient tandis que la corruption est généralisée à tous les niveaux de l'État. S’ajoutent à ce sombre tableau de fortes rivalités au sein du parti au pouvoir, le Mouvement populaire de libération du Soudan (SPLM), ex-branche politique de la rébellion sudiste. Deux clans principaux s’affrontent à sa tête et donc pour la main-mise sur l'ensemble du pays : celui du président Salva Kiir contre celui de l’ancien vice-président Riek Machar. Les protagonistes de la crise : Salva Kiir et Riek Machar Ancienne figure de la rébellion sudiste, Salva Kiir dirige le SPLM et est président du Soudan du Sud depuis sa création, en juillet 2011. Il est en conflit larvé avec son vieux rival politique et ex-vice-président, Riek Machar, lui aussi ancien rebelle. En juillet dernier, celui-ci avait ouvertement déclaré son intention de se présenter à l’élection présidentielle de 2015 contre Kiir. Évidemment, cette annonce n’a pas plu au sommet de l’État et le couperet est tombé peu après : le vice-président et plusieurs ministres proches ont été limogés du gouvernement. Depuis, la guerre est ouverte entre les deux hommes. En novembre, Riek Machar et ses lieutenants ont dénoncé les "tendances dictatoriales" de Salva Kiir. La tension est encore montée d’un cran, le 15 décembre, lorsque de violents affrontements entre factions rivales de l’armée ont éclaté à Djouba pendant que les autorités affirmaient avoir déjoué une tentative de coup d’État. Alors que Salva Kiir s’empressait de pointer du doigt son rival – plusieurs observateurs y voyant un moyen de se débarrasser définitivement de lui -, Riek Machar se défaussait de toute responsabilité, tout en affirmant qu’il ne voulait plus de Kiir comme président du Soudan du Sud. Les affrontements armés se poursuivent depuis entre les deux clans, faisant plusieurs centaines de morts et jetant des milliers de déplacés sur les routes, la majorité cherchant à trouver refuge dans les bases de l’ONU. Plus inquiétant, il existe désormais un risque que les combats se muent en tueries interethniques entre les communautés Dinka du président Kiir et Nuer de Riek Machar, opposées depuis de vieux ressentiments remontant à la guerre civile. L’enjeu pétrolier Le pétrole est un enjeu crucial du conflit actuel au Soudan du Sud. La production pétrolière représente 95% des revenus du pays. De son côté, Khartoum dépend aussi de cette rente, taxant fortement le pétrole acheminé à travers son immense territoire via des oléoducs. Les combats entre forces loyales à Salva Kiir et combattants liés à Riek Machar sont particulièrement sanglants dans l’État pétrolier d’Unité, au nord du pays. Ce week-end, les rebelles ont pris sa capitale, Bentiu, au prix de violents affrontements. Ils tenaient également Bor, capitale de l’État voisin instable du Jonglei, que l'armée s'apprêtait à reprendre lundi. Face à cette situation explosive, les sociétés pétrolières ont déjà commencé à évacuer leur personnel, à l’image de la compagnie étatique chinoise China national petroleum corp (CNPC). Ces derniers jours, des centaines d’employés étrangers, notamment Chinois et Pakistanais, tentaient de quitter le pays au plus vite. Si les installations pétrolières n’ont pas été directement touchées par les combats, la production devrait être progressivement réduite. Une situation instable que le Soudan voisin ne devrait pas accepter très longtemps. L’inquiétude des États-Unis et de la communauté internationale La situation au Soudan du Sud préoccupe les États-Unis, qui ont surveillé de près le processus de partition des deux Soudans. Washington a envoyé dimanche son émissaire régional, Donald Booth, à Djouba, et une centaine de soldats américains sont officiellement présents sur place pour procéder à l’évacuation de leurs compatriotes. Quatre militaires ont été blessés ce week-end à Bor dans ces opérations, poussant le président Barack Obama à déclarer qu’il se tenait prêt à prendre de nouvelles mesures "si nécessaire" pour assurer la sécurité de ses ressortissants et des biens américains au Soudan du Sud. Plusieurs autres pays - le Royaume-Uni, le Kenya, l'Ouganda ou encore le Liban - ont également ordonné l'évacuation de leurs citoyens. Les organisations humanitaires et internationales se montrent très inquiètes de la détérioration de la situation au Soudan du Sud. Le secrétaire général de l'ONU, Ban Ki-moon, a ainsi demandé "que tous les dirigeants politiques, militaires et les milices cessent les hostilités et mettent fin à la violence contre les civils" tandis que le Comité international de la Croix-Rouge (CICR) s'est déclaré "alarmé" des violences commises contre les civils. Après une médiation de trois jours menée par une délégation de ministres des Affaires étrangères d'Afrique de l'Est, le président Salva Kiir a promis, dimanche, de "mener un dialogue sans conditions" avec son rival Riek Machar. Celui-ci n'a pour le moment pas répondu à cette offre. Lire l'article sur Jeuneafrique.com

Sudão do Sul: Medo e desespero

A UN official in South Sudan has spoken of an atmosphere of fear and desperation as violence escalates. Humanitarian Co-ordinator Toby Lanzer told the BBC about summary executions in Bor, in the restive state of Jonglei that has fallen to rebels. The UN mission in South Sudan has urged rival political leaders to agree a truce and open negotiations. Clashes broke out between troops loyal to President Salva Kiir and others backing his former deputy a week ago. Meanwhile the US said it had evacuated its citizens from Bor. Four US service personnel were wounded on Saturday when their aircraft were shot at, delaying an evacuation operation and prompting US President Barack Obama to consider further action. "As I monitor the situation in South Sudan, I may take further action to support the security of US citizens, personnel and property, including our embassy, in South Sudan," he said in a letter to Congress leaders on Sunday. Earlier the South Sudanese army confirmed that Bentiu, the capital of oil-rich Unity State, had also fallen to troops supporting former Vice-President Riek Machar. "Bentiu is not in our hands," said military spokesman Philip Aguer. President Salva Kiir has accused Mr Machar of attempting a coup. 'Hundreds of thousands' Mr Lanzer, who spent several days in Bor, said the problem of people seeking refuge was growing daily. "I'm quite concerned that in a few days' time we won't be talking about tens of thousands, we'll be talking about hundreds of thousands directly affected," he said. "It's really very moving to see people just asking: 'Can you please keep me alive?'" Mr Lanzer added that there was a danger not just from fighting by conventional armies but from groups of youths who he said were simply "out of control". The government says it is trying to retake Bor, and the state has seen fierce fighting in recent days. Two Indian peacekeepers and at least 11 civilians were killed in an attack on a UN compound in Akobo, Jonglei, on Thursday. Joseph Contreras, acting UN spokesperson in Juba, told the BBC he had two messages for South Sudan's political leaders. "One is to call upon all the political leaders to desist from further violence, to heed the African Union call to observe a holiday season truce, open a channel of dialogue and sit down to negotiate their differences peacefully. "Our other message is that we here at the United Nations are here to stay." UN relocation On Saturday Mr Machar said his forces controlled Unity State - whose oilfields are crucial to South Sudan's economy. Those reports could not be independently confirmed. However, on Sunday Col Aguer told reporters: "Bentiu is in the hands of a commander who has declared support for Machar." He added that the number of people or wounded in the fighting was unclear. Unity, a state on the border with Sudan, produces much of South Sudan's oil, which accounts for more than 95% of the country's economy. Also on Sunday, the UN mission Unmiss said it had begun relocating staff from the capital Juba to the Ugandan city of Entebbe. Juba has been tense since the unrest began last weekend. BBC