The UN's protection of the alleged perpetrator Machar, added to the UN peacekeepers' failure to adequately protect civilians when they had the chance, adds up to a botched UN mission in South Sudan
The United Nations’ Botched Mission in South Sudan
South Sudan, the youngest member state of the United Nations, began its life as an independent country with expressions of hope for a bright future. At the independence ceremony of South Sudan, held in its capital Juba on July 9, 2011, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon proclaimed that, after years of violence, “we open a new chapter: a day when the people of South Sudan claim the freedom and dignity that are their birthright… South Sudan could grow into a prosperous, productive nation capable of meeting the needs of its people.”
The Secretary General heralded that “a new United Nations mission begins its work. Our mandate: to help South Sudan establish effective institutions of governance and deliver on the high hopes of its people.”