Deputy Defence minister said neither his troops nor United
Nations peacekeepers are able to protect civilians in Jonglei state.
Majak D'Agoot told AFP on Tuesday that "much as we
believe in the ideals of the responsibility to protect, our mandate as the
government and the mandate of the UN cannot match with resources that are
there".
The deputy chief said “in Manyabol the army had only one
company, alongside a handful of UN peacekeepers, and that they were vastly
outnumbered by as many as 7,000 militia gunmen. Taking action in those
circumstances would have been "suicidal."
The UN estimated more than 600 people were massacred in the attacks, although local officials reported the figure was far higher, while killings continued in a series of reprisal attacks.