JUBA, Feb. 7 (Xinhua) -- The United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) said Wednesday it alerted South Sudan about an undeclared package of ammunition being imported into the country by a rotating contingent of the UN mission.
UNMISS said 16 undeclared boxes of ammunition were detected among cargo on a charter flight that landed Tuesday in Juba, the capital of South Sudan.
"I would like to underscore that UNMISS itself took immediate action to alert the South Sudanese authorities to this regrettable incident as soon as we became aware. It is important to be open and honest in these situations, and the mission is now working closely with the government to address this issue," said Nicholas Haysom, the special representative of the Secretary-General and Head of UNMISS, in a statement issued here.
It noted that the rotating contingent did not advise UNMISS that it intended to transport ammunition, adding that the incoming contingent had been informed by the mission in advance of the flight that ammunition should not be included in the cargo as there was no clearance for these items.
UNMISS said that the ammunition was not declared on the manifest that had been provided to and cleared by the government of South Sudan.
"When the ammunition was discovered by UNMISS while the cargo was being unloaded in Juba, the mission immediately informed all relevant authorities within the government of South Sudan," it said.
The peacekeeping mission also said that it would raise this matter with the troop-contributing country for further action.
The peacekeeping mission in South Sudan is composed of 17,954 personnel, including 13,221 troops, 200 experts on mission, 1,468 police personnel, 2,268 civilians and 389 staff officers, and 408 UN Volunteers. ■
