South Sudan told the United Nations on Friday that it opposed the use of surveillance drones to help track ongoing fighting in the world's youngest nation.
The comments came as the UN Security Council approved a resolution that asks Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon to deploy more helicopters and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) to strengthen the UN mission in South Sudan (UNMISS).
South Sudan's Ambassador Francis Mading Deng told the 15-member council that the use of UAVs was a "contested" issue and complained that the move was decided without consultation with Juba.
Such a decision will "invite controversy, and potential disagreement and hostility, when harmony and cooperation are what the situation calls for," Deng said.
The United Nations has made successful use of drones in its mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo, allowing peacekeepers to survey areas that are hard to access or too dangerous to deploy the blue helmets.
UN peacekeeping chief Herve Ladsous said the use of UAVs was key for the mission to carry out the new tasks to shore up the faltering peace deal and monitor the ceasefire.
"We believe there is a requirement to deploy UAVs for enhanced early warning, necessary to protect civilians as well as for the safety and security of peacekeepers," he told AFP by email.
Ladsous said the United Nations would continue talks with South Sudan on the use of the drones, stressing that cooperation from Juba was needed to make use of the technology.
- Sanctions threat -
Russia and Venezuela abstained from the vote largely in protest at the new provision on the use of UAVs and another section on the threat of sanctions, but the resolution was adopted by a vote of 13 in favor.
Russian Deputy Ambassador Petr Iliichev said it was time to engage with South Sudan's warring sides to advance peace and not "frighten them off with the threat of sanctions."
The adopted resolution extends the UN's mission to December 15 but with a stronger focus on steps to implement the peace deal.
The measure also asks Ban to report to the council within six months on UN efforts to help set up a hybrid court to try those accused of war crimes as advocated by the African Commission, another point of contention with Juba.
South Sudan's President Salva Kiir signed a peace accord on August 26, a few days after rebel leader Riek Machar committed to the agreement, but fighting has continued.
Last month, the United States sought UN sanctions on the army chief and a rebel commander, but the move was blocked by Angola, China, Russia and Venezuela.
The world's youngest nation, South Sudan descended into bloodshed in December 2013 when Kiir accused Machar of planning a coup, unleashing a wave of killings that has split the country along ethnic lines.
The violence has killed tens of thousands of people and driven more than 2.2 million from their homes.