South Sudan grounds UN aircraft and alleges illegal surveillance and smuggling

South Sudan's government has grounded four aircraft registered under the United Nations mission there, alleging that they were used for illegal surveillance and smuggling, which the U.N. denied.

South Sudan’s foreign minister, Monday Semaya Kumba, said a government committee was examining the aircraft after intelligence reports raised security concerns, and two were found with advanced surveillance and intelligence recording systems.

U.N. mission spokesperson Priyanka Chowdhury said Monday that all air assets are used “solely in support of our mandate to help protect civilians and support lasting peace in South Sudan.”

She said the U.N. mission has been talking with South Sudan's government “for a while now to resolve this issue” and said the mission works transparently with it on U.N. operations.

South Sudan's government in 2017 grounded U.N. aircraft after peacekeepers were deployed to guard the country's main airport. The government said that was not part of their mandate.

More than 70% of South Sudan's 11 million people rely on humanitarian assistance for food, healthcare and other basics, according to the U.N., whose mandate includes helping to deliver aid.